The global rise of violent extremism is one of the greatest problems facing our world today, and it affects us all – especially women, who serve as the bedrock of their families and communities and shape the lives of our future generations. Unfortunately, the peaceful religion of Islam continues to be linked to terrorism – with far-reaching consequences – threatening national unity and our shared civic life, and causing severe reputation damage to Islam, the world’s second largest religion.

At WISE (the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality & Equality), we’ve recently hit a major milestone. We published a 365-page report written in collaboration with 72 Muslim academics, scholars, imams, activists, and field specialists on issues related to American Muslim life, the differences between Islamic theology and extremist ideology, and best practices for preventing extremist recruitment and hate crimes against Muslims.  WISE Up gives voice to the American Muslim community in its ongoing effort to set the record straight on Islam and Muslims, and to show that American Muslims are speaking out against all forms of hate, including terrorism and Islamophobia. Download the Congressional Briefing report here. 

WISE Up is a call to action with a five-part WISE Up Campaign:

1. Public Policy
2. Townhall Dialogues
3. Learning Tools
4. Resilient Communities
5. Impacting Public Opinion

The WISE Up policy paper was presented at a Congressional Briefing on July 17, 2018 to members of Congress, relevant government officials, and think tanks. See newsletter for more information.

Greenville Townhall Dialogue – Hughes Main Library, March 15th, 2018, Greenville, SC.