Being part of a community means actively engaging the unique perspectives of our many members on their own terms and through their own voices. The following programs, resources, and involvement opportunities represent only a portion of what Rutgers has to offer as a beloved community and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. It’s all part of the university’s commitment to have students, alumni, faculty, staff, and partners work together to embody, reflect, and respect the complexities of all our parts.
Stay Informed
Find out how Rutgers’ faculty, students, and publications are advancing knowledge and giving a voice to issues that impact the community.
Rutgers Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR)
The Rutgers Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR) engages in research, education, and advocacy on law and policy that adversely impact America’s diverse Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities. CSRR utilizes an interfaith, cross-racial, and interdisciplinary approach. Its work is organized around three themes:
- the contemporary and historical intersection of race and religion in the United States
- the criminalizing of the Muslim identity through United States and global national security laws
- transnational rights and security arising from relations between the United States and Muslim majority countries
Sign up for their bi-annual newsletter to stay informed on their three projects: Color of Religion, Criminalizing Muslim Identity, and Transnational Rights and Security.
Whether you like to read, listen, or watch, CSRR’s resource list has something for you. This collection of multimedia resources offers an introduction to the three themes underpinning CSRR’s work (mentioned above) and has been collated from the works of advocacy organizations, media outlets, and government agencies.
Book: The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom
This groundbreaking 356-page book by Rutgers Law Professor Sahar F. Aziz, founder of the Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), demonstrates how race and religion intersect to create what she calls the Racial Muslim. Comparing discrimination against immigrant Muslims with the prejudicial treatment of Jews, Catholics, Mormons, and African American Muslims during the twentieth century, Aziz explores the gap between America’s aspiration for and fulfillment of religious freedom. With America’s demographics rapidly changing from a majority white Protestant nation to a multiracial, multireligious society, this book is an in dispensable read for understanding how our past continues to shape our present—to the detriment of our nation’s future.
Learn more from the half-hour video discussion Deep Dives with ISPU: The Racial Muslim between Aziz and Dalia Mogahed, director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in Washington, D.C.
Video: Muslim Contributions to American Prosperity
Issues surrounding American Muslims are central in our political discourse, policy debates, and popular culture. Yet most Americans say they don’t know a Muslim, and more than 80% of media coverage of Islam and Muslims in the United States is negative. This informative lecture discusses the myriad ways in which Muslims contribute to economic development, medicine, philanthropy, arts, entertainment, sports, and education in the United States. It is presented by Dalia Mogahed, director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in Washington, D.C., aired March 30, 2022, as part of the CSRR’s De-Scrutinizing Muslim Identity Lecture Series.
Video: Hate Crimes, Terrorism, and the Framing of White Supremacist Violence
In this webinar on November 8, 2021, which is part of the CSRR’s De-Securitizing Muslim Identity Series, Professor Shirin Sinnar of Stanford Law School unpacked the historical roots and contemporary implications of addressing political violence as “hate crimes” or “terrorism.” She explains how the “hate crimes” and “terrorism” frames took hold in our law in culture and how they supply two starkly different ways of conceptualizing—and responding to—white supremacist violence. Ultimately, the move to reframe white supremacist violence as terrorism comes with grave risks, says Sinnar, and neither frame aligns with a racial justice approach to the problem. (This was presented as a Continuing Legal Education for-credit course.)
Attend an Event
Learn about upcoming events available to Rutgers alumni and register for those that speak to your personal and professional interests.
Wednesday, April 20, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Webinar: CSSR’s “Know Your Rights” Presentation: College Activism on Palestine
This webinar is the latest installment in a series of “Know Your Rights” presentations on housing, education, government accountability, and college activism on Palestine, presented by the Rutgers Center for the Security, Race, and Rights.
Get Involved
Connect with Rutgers alumni, expand your social and professional networks, or offer advice to students by getting involved with an alumni group that is meaningful to you.
Rutgers University Muslim Alumni Association (RUMAA)
The Rutgers University Muslim Alumni Association maintains a network of professional and social ties between Muslim alumni of Rutgers University. The group also contributes to Muslim life on campus and to the Rutgers University community at large. To learn more, visit the RUMAA Facebook group or email rumaa.board@gmail.com.
Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU)
CILRU is dedicated to creating an inclusive space for the Muslim community at Rutgers University, where members can foster a rich and meaningful Muslim identity. Weekly programming throughout the semester draws students together to share their experiences and learn through classes in Seerah, Dhikr, Islamic literacy, and current events. A chaplain is available to those struggling emotionally, spiritually, academically, or otherwise.
ACC is a student-run organization that celebrates the richness and diversity of Arab culture through a variety of activities, from lively parties to laid-back charity events. The club says they seek to involve people of all backgrounds to learn about and celebrate this beautiful culture’s food, music, and much, much, more. Their goal is to eliminate any stereotypes about Arabs while elevating the many things to appreciate and admire. Follow the ACC on Instagram @accrutgers for information about upcoming events.
Support a Fund
Connect with the causes and communities at Rutgers you care about most by supporting the advancement of research, access, and awareness. You can search for any type of fund you would like to support and make a gift to make an impact. Here is one that benefits Arab Americans:
Center for Security, Race & Civil Rights Fund
This fund supports research, education, and advocacy on law and policy that adversely impact the civil and human rights of American Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities.
Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University
This 501C3 tax-exempt fund supports the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU) in its efforts to create a strong environment for Muslims at Rutgers. The CILRU does not receive financial support from Rutgers, so it relies on donations from alumni, parents, friends of Rutgers, and Muslim institutions and corporations.
