Event: From Ms. Marvel to the Smithsonian: A Conversation on Teaching Religious Literacy through Arts and Popular Culture

In this conversation, Dr. Rashid will discuss his work and its uses in the classroom, with a particular focus on the Children’s Museum of Manhattan exhibit “America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far?”

Dr. Hussein Rashid is the new Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life and comes to RPL with a wealth of experience as an educator in public and classroom settings. He has particular expertise in integrating the arts into the study of religion.

From work with museums to film, documentary, and comics, Rashid has long engaged the power of images and art to highlight complexity and captivate learners when teaching religious literacy. Among other projects Dr. Rashid executive produced the Times Op-Doc “The Secret History of Muslims in the US” and co-edited a volume on Ms. Marvel, the first Muslim to have her own comic series with Marvel Comics.

Memoji of Hussein Rashid on the left thinking "What if I taught religious literacy through arts and popular culture?" with a the cover of the book Ms Marvel's America: No Normal on the right

More information here.

Muslim Footprints Podcast: 500-year History of Islam in America

Our latest episode tells the story of how Islam arrived in America, possibly as early as the 1400s on ships from Europe and West Africa. 

We have two guests on this episode. One is Sylviane Diouf, a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University. She has written of the role that Islam played in the lives of African Muslims enslaved in the Americas. Our other guest is Dr Hussein Rashid, assistant dean for Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School, whose research focuses on Muslims and US popular culture.

Event: Sacred Door Project – Truth, Justice, and the Spiritual Way

Date: Thursday, October 12th
Time: 6:30 pm (doors open at 6 pm)
Location: Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South, Rooms 405/406, NYC 10012

Please join the Islamic Center at NYU on Thursday, October 12th for the kickoff of this year’s Sacred Door Lecture Series: “Truth, Justice, and the Spiritual Way: Exploring Muslim Super-heroism through Imam Ali (as)” with our guest speaker Dr. Hussein Rashid.

In the age of fictional superheroes, this talk will look to an original Muslim superhero, Imam Ali (as). Through an exploration of his actions and discussion of his teachings, we will learn how belief and actions are complementary and necessary aspects of what it means to be Muslim. By realizing this connection to its fullest, Imam Ali defines a Muslim superhero.

Quoted in RNS Story on Daredevil

Marvel’s latest adversary for ‘Daredevil’ exposes its blindness to antisemitic art

Not everyone sees the “Daredevil” images as only antisemitic. “The image also seems to pull on anti-Arab imagery,” said Hussein Rashid, an independent scholar whose focus is religion and comics.

“The use of symbols against an adversary or The Adversary is quite common in comics,” said Rashid, adding that “comics, not just Marvel, are replete with images and storylines that continue to reinforce narratives of marginalization.”

Though he admits that the comics companies are improving on this score, “these tropes need to be pointed out.”

Video: Building Community Through Film

Discover how films can bring people together, spark conversations, and inspire positive change. From exploring the role of documentaries in raising awareness about social issues to discussing the influence of fictional films in shaping our perceptions, this event offers a unique opportunity to delve into the world of community building through cinema. This conversation explores the transformative power of movies!

On Wednesday, September 20th, the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign held a conversation about the power of film as a tool to support community healing, process experiences of violence, and engage new communities in the important ongoing work of building a pluralistic and inclusive country. This conversation featured Pardeep S. Kaleka, co-director of Not in Our Town, Aber Kawas, a community organizer featured in An Act of Worship, and Dr. Hussein Rashid, a professor and scholar of religion specializing in Muslims and American Popular Culture.

Event: Building Community through Film

Join Shoulder to Shoulder on Wednesday, September 20th at 2pmET for a 90-minute conversationabout the power of film as a tool to support community healing, process experiences of violence, and engage new communities in the important ongoing work of building a pluralistic and inclusive country. This conversation will feature Pardeep S. Kaleka co-director of Not in Our Town, Aber Kawas, a community organizer featured in An Act of Worship, and Dr. Hussein Rashid a professor and scholar of religion specializing in Muslims and American Popular Culture. This conversation will equip community leaders with a new and growing list of films and resources they can use in their community conversations and engagement as we explore how films can help change hearts, minds, and actions.

Please register here.

Promotional poster image for event on building community through film. The poster names the event, the speakers, and provides a link to register for the event.