Hussein Rashid

Academic. Speaker. Educator. Advocate.

September 2022

Books

New Chapter: In Cyber Muslims

Hussein

Cyber Muslims: Mapping Islamic Digital Media in the Internet Age

Through an array of detailed case studies, this book explores the vibrant digital expressions of diverse groups of Muslim cybernauts: religious clerics and Sufis, feminists and fashionistas, artists and activists, hajj pilgrims and social media influencers. These stories span a vast cultural and geographic landscape-from Indonesia, Iran, and the Arab Middle East to North America.

These granular case studies contextualize cyber Islam within broader social trends: racism and Islamophobia, gender dynamics, celebrity culture, identity politics, and the shifting terrain of contemporary religious piety and practice.

The book’s authors examine an expansive range of digital multimedia technologies as primary “texts.” These include websites, podcasts, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube channels, online magazines and discussion forums, and religious apps. The contributors also draw on a range of methodological and theoretical models from multiple academic disciplines, including communication and media studies, anthropology, history, global studies, religious studies, and Islamic studies.

12. Defining Islamic Art: Practices and Digital Reconfigurations, Hussein Rashid

Book cover for Cyber Muslims
Book cover for Cyber Muslims
Events Inter-faith Video

Event: Critical Race Theory and Religion

Hussein

Shoulder to Shoulder hosted a panel discussion featuring Harman Singh from The Sikh Coalition, Taneeza Islam from South Dakota Voices for Peace, and Hussein Rashid representing the Interfaith Center of New York to learn more about what CRT is and isn’t and what we can do to create communities where all people, regardless of their faith, culture, or background are treated fairly, respectfully, and with dignity.

 

Books

New Chapter: In Are the Arts Essential?

Hussein

Are the Arts Essential?

Across twenty-five highly engaging essays, these luminaries join together to address this question and to share their own ideas, experiences, and ambitions for the arts. Darren Walker discusses the ideals of justice and fairness advanced through the arts; Mary Schmidt Campbell shows us how artists and cultural institutions helped New York overcome the economic crisis of the 1970s, bringing new investment and creativity to the city; Deborah Willis traces histories of oppression and disenfranchisement documented by photographers; and Oskar Eustis offers a brief history lesson on how theaters have built communities since the Golden Age of Athens. Other topics include the vibrancy and diversity of Muslim culture in America during a time of rising Islamophobia; the strengthening of the common good through the art and cultural heritages of indigenous communities; digital data aggregation informing and influencing new art forms; and the jazz lyricisms of a theater piece inspired by a composer’s two-month coma.

9781479812622

Books

New Book: Teaching Critical Religious Studies

Hussein

Teaching Critical Religious Studies: Pedagogy and Critique in the Classroom

Are you teaching religious studies in the best way possible? Do you inadvertently offer simplistic understandings of religion to undergraduate students, only to then unpick them at advanced levels?

This book presents case studies of teaching methods that integrate student learning, classroom experiences, and disciplinary critiques. It shows how critiques of the scholarship of religious studies-including but not limited to the World Religions paradigm, Christian normativity, Orientalism, colonialism, race, gender, sexuality, and class-can be effectively integrated into all courses, especially at an introductory level.

Integrating advanced critiques from religious studies into actual pedagogical practices, this book offers ways for scholars to rethink their courses to be more reflective of the state of the field. This is essential reading for all scholars in religious studies.

 

9781350228412

Media Appearances

Building Community Through the Arts | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube

Hussein

Building Community Through the Arts | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube.

In this discussion, panelists talk about the true power of the arts to shape cities and policies and strengthen the ties between us. For this conversation, scholar Hussein Rashid is joined by Lydia Cotton and Marty Pottenger. Lydia Cotton is the co-founder of the Art Pot in Hanahan, South Carolina—our state’s first Hispanic multicultural center providing arts programming for kids and adults. Lydia is actively involved with the Hispanic community in the Charleston area, a tireless advocate of its people—making sure they are aware of their rights and their resources. A celebrated playwright, Marty Pottenger is also the founder of Art at Work, a national arts initiative that partners with communities and governments that uses creativity and the performing and visual arts to address non-arts based challenges.

Media Appearances

Art & Global Politics | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube

Hussein

Art & Global Politics | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube.

In this discussion, three artists and scholars talk about the intersection of art and history as well as art and politics and cultural diplomacy. How do performances shape our understanding of history—and how might politics shape our understanding of art? The panelists will also speak about America’s position as a global arts leader, and how its position has changed or been challenged over time. Moderator Dr. Hussein Rashid is joined by South African musician Kyla-Rose Smith and Georgian theater director Paata Tsikurishvili.

Media Appearances

Teaching History | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube

Hussein

Teaching History | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube.

What role should the performing arts play in education and the teaching of history? Spoleto Festival USA’s 2022 season looked at the power of the arts to reveal untold histories, especially those of marginalized people and groups whose stories are not widely shared or known. Works like Omar and Unholy Wars, for example, asked us to not only look at history, but ask why those histories are told and who is telling it.

Events

Event: Addressing the anti-CRT Movement

Hussein

Addressing the anti-CRT Movement

What is the anti-CRT (Critical Race Theory) movement and what does it have to do with faith communities? Is teaching about religious and racial diversity now banned?

Join Shoulder to Shoulder for a presentation and panel discussionfeaturing Harman Singh from The Sikh Coalition, Taneeza Islam from South Dakota Voices for Peace, and Hussein Rashid representing the Interfaith Center of New York on Thursday, September 22 at 1pm ET to learn more about what CRT is and isn’t and what we can do to create communities where all people, regardless of their faith, culture, or background are treated fairly, respectfully, and with dignity.

Critical Race Theory understands that experiences of racism are both individual and personal as well as political and social. Legal scholars, activists, and lawyers established this theory upon realizing that many of the advancements during the civil rights movement had come to a stop and that some gains were even being reversed. Anti-CRT activists spread disinformation about what is and is not being taught in schools to shut down any conversation about our country’s racial and religious diversity, or the experiences of marginalized communities. The impact of the anti-CRT movement is that teachers and school officials are afraid to teach anything for fear it will be labeled divisive or CRT. Some school officials are receiving death threats and advocacy work to have the school calendar reflect the community’s religious and cultural diversity have been frozen.

The Sikh Coalition, South Dakota Voices for Peace, and the Interfaith Center of New York are among a broader community of organizations who have been working for years to improve teachers' access and ability to teach about our religious diversity, abiding by legal requirements and restrictions. Now they have run into significant and in some ways renewed energy with anti-CRT activists pushing for control over school curriculum. We will discuss how are they understanding the movement, strategizing engagement, and thinking creatively. We’ll also explore the roles of local educators, faith communities, and families in continuing to create more inclusive and diverse learning environments.

 

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/addressing-the-anti-crt-movement-a-panel-discussion-tickets-411495864207

9.22 PC Social Post

Books Media Appearances

“Are the Arts Essential?”: Finding and Fostering Community Through the Lens of Urdu – YouTube

Hussein

"Are the Arts Essential?": Finding and Fostering Community Through the Lens of Urdu – YouTube.

Wajahat Ali, renowned writer and TED Talk speaker, sits down with Director of the Building Bridges Program Zeyba Rahman and scholar Hussein Rashid to discuss their essay, "An Urdu of the Twenty-First-Century United States." In this lively conversation, the coauthors reveal the impetus behind the piece, which was published in the New York University Press anthology titled “Are the Arts Essential?,” talk about Urdu as an allegory for cross-cultural connection and unity, and reveal why the arts are “a superpower” to be found in every profession, practice and personal pursuit.

More on the book Are the Arts Essential?