Resources to ChangeTheStory

ChangeTheStory.net DVD

Want to gather a group together to watch the stories told on the website without having to stand around the computer? If so, order a copy of the new ChangeTheStory DVD. This DVD will feature each individual story told on the Meet your Neighbor page, as well as the LinkTV video’s featured on the site. It will also come with a leader’s guide that will allow for the facilitation of a group discussion.

Order the DVD here.

Report of the Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement

A copy of the report, "Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World" can be found online.

See below for Social, Film, Book and Article Resources

Social Services to ChangeTheStory

UMMA Community Clinic
A true model of interfaith service can be found in this Los Angeles community medical clinic. This institution established by Muslim Americans provides free medical treatment to the entire community, despite age, race, or religion. One of the clinic’s main goals is to open up opportunities for interaction and greater understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims of all cultural, religious, and economic backgrounds.

Through their work, they seek to break any preconceived notions of Muslims, proving to the community and the rest of the world that there is no difference in being an American or a Muslim American. The clinic provides ways that you can help them on their mission via donation or volunteering.

Films to ChangeTheStory

Allah Made Me Funny: The Official Comedy Tour
This consists of a trio who poke fun at Muslims and non-Muslims alike and their comedic material plays with stereotypes to invite people to think outside of their fixed cultural perceptions.

America at a Crossroads
A film series accompanied by a discussion guide that explores the challenges confronting the post-9/11 world — including the War on Terror; the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq; the experience of American troops serving abroad; the struggle for balance within the Muslim world; and global perspectives on America’s role overseas.

Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain
This is a PBS documentary that takes viewers through an engaging, insightful journey into this critical period in world history. This film tells the story when Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived together and prospered in a thriving multicultural civilization in Medieval Spain. Learn how remarkable individuals of different faiths made lasting contributions in such areas as poetry, art, architecture, music, dining etiquette, science, agriculture, medicine, engineering, navigation, textiles, and even hydraulic technology.

For more information or to get a free DVD of Cities of Light, join 20,000 Dialogues.

Frontline: Muslims
A PBS documentary that explores the different faces of Islam worldwide. Get a free lesson plan to accompany the documentary.

Inside Mecca
This documentary takes an inside look at the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Islam: Empire of Faith
A documentary created by PBS highlighting the Golden Age of Islamic Civilization. Visit the site for lesson plans to be used in conjunction with the film.

Muhammad Legacy of a Prophet
This documentary relates the story of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad through the voices of contemporary American Muslims who are trying to live out his example in post-9/11 United States.

Muslims
This two-hour production examines the different faces of Islam and the fundamental tenants of the faith.

Muslim Teens Talk
This film provides a diverse picture of Muslim teens in the United States, and discussion guides on how stereotypes are formed, the impact it has on American Muslim teens trying to fit in and ways to fight prejudice.

On a Wing and a Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly
This follows the lives of a young Muslim couple who cast off stereotypes and refuse to succumb to victimhood.

One Nation Many Voices
Average American Muslims add their voices to counter prejudice and have a chance to say to you and the world what they wish you to know, hear, and see.

Prince Among Slaves
A film that relates the true story of a noble Muslim prince from Africa who is captured, brought to the antebellum United States and sold as a slave to a landowner who could barely read.

See a complete list of films by Unity Productions.

Books to ChangeTheStory

Albanese, Catherine L. America: Religions and Religion, 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2007.

Banchoff, Thomas, ed. Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism. New York: Oxford, 2007.

Bayoumi, Moustafa. How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America. New York: Penguin Press, 2008.

Curiel, Jonathan. Al-America Travels Through America’s Arab and Islamic Roots. New York: New Press, 2008.

Hafiz, Dilara, Imran Hafiz and Yasmine Hafiz American Muslim Teenage Handbook. Arizona: Acacia Publishing, 2007.

Heckman, Bud. Interactive Faith: The Essential Interreligious Community Building Handbook. Vermont: Sky Light Paths Publishing, 2008.

Magida, Aruthr J. How to Be a Perfect Stranger: A Guide to Etiquette in Other People's Religious Ceremonies. Vermont: Skylight Paths Publishing, 2002.

Magonet, Jonathan. Talking to the Other: Jewish Interfaith Dialogue with Christians and Muslims. London: LB. Taviris, 2003.

Markham, Ian S., and Tinu Ruparell, eds. Encountering Religion: An Introduction to the Religions of the World. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2001.

McCarthy, Kate. Beyond Tolerance: Searching for Interfaith Understanding in America. New York: Viking Press, 2008.

Articles to ChangeTheStory

Smock, David and Ul-Huda, Qamar. United States Institute of Peace Special Report: Islamic Peacemaking Since 911. United States Institute for Peace, 2009. Download

Articles to ChangeTheStory: From Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC)

Patel, Eboo. Preface by Senator Harris Wofford. The Crossroads of the Identity Crisis. The Buxton Initiative, 2007. Download

Patel, Eboo. Affirming Identity, Achieving Pluralism: Insights from Interfaith Youth Work. The Review of Faith & International Affairs, 2007. Download

Patel, Eboo. The Youth Programs of Religious Totalitarians. The Review of Faith & International Affairs, 2007. Download

Patel, Eboo and Williams, Erin. Religion and National Security: Strengthening Pluralism, Defeating Totalitarianism. Religion and National Security, 2006. Download

Patel, Eboo. Debating the Divine: Religion in 21st century American Democracy. Center for American Progress, 2008. Download

Please also visit Bridge-Builders, a new website designed by IFYC to offer updates, tools and resources for the interfaith youth movement.

Articles to ChangeTheStory: From U.S. - Muslim Engagement Project Leadership Group Members

Madeleine Albright

• "Bridges, Bombs, or Bluster?" Foreign Affairs 82, no. 5 (2003)
• "How To Change Iraq", Washington Post, September 6, 2007
• The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs, HarperCollins 2006; Council on Foreign Relations book presentation, May 1, 2006
• "A Realistic Idealism", Washington Post, May 8, 2006
• and Vin Weber, "The Right Path to Arab Democracy", Washington Post, June 8, 2005

Ziad Asali

• "The Annapolis Summit", Washington Times, November 6, 2007
• "Mideast - the definite conflict", Middle East Times, November 7, 2007
• "On Solid Ground", Washington Times, March 15, 2007
• "The Palestinian Plight", Washington Times, June 18, 2007
• "Towards Israeli-Palestinian Peace", Washington Times, February 5, 2007

Marc Gopin

• Between Eden and Armageddon: The Future of World Religions, Violence, and Peacemaking, Oxford University Press, 2000
• "Between Sharm El Sheikh and Damascus: Lessons and Journeys 2006"
• "Counter religious extremism with religious compassion", Christian Science Monitor, September 7, 2006
• Holy War, Holy Peace: How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East, Oxford University Press, 2005
• "How to challenge Iran's militancy without using arms", Christian Science Monitor, August 23, 2007
• Israelis are talking to Hamas:Religion at the cutting edge, Common Ground News, May 15, 2008.

Shamil Idriss

• "A Public Peace Process", Common Ground News, November 19, 2004

Daisy Khan

• "The Five Pillars of Islam", Faces, February 2008
• "Harnessing the Future of Islam", 2006 interview with Daisy Khan by Dilshad D. Ali
• "On Faith: A Conversation on Religion with Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn", washingtonpost.com blog

Richard Land

• The Divided States of America? What Liberals AND Conservatives are missing in the God-and-country shouting match!, Thomas Nelson, 2007
• Imagine! A God-Blessed America: How It Could Happen and What It Would Look Like, B&H Publishing Group, 2005
• "On Faith: A Conversation on Religion with Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn", washingtonpost.com blog
• "Separation of Mosque and State?" beliefnet.com op-ed, 2002

Robert Lifton

• "Conditions of Atrocity", The Nation, May 2004
• Superpower Syndrome: America's Apocalyptic Confrontation with the World, Nation Books, 2003

John Marks and Susan Collin Marks

• “Common Ground is Possible,” Christian Science Monitor, February 9, 1999
• and Susan Collin Marks, “Keeping Hope Alive,” European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation, Conflict Prevention Newsletter 6, no. 1 (May 2003)
• and Susan Collin Marks, "Let's Legislate Consensus-Building", Christian Science Monitor, February 10, 2005

Susan Collin Marks

• "Coexistence in the 21st Century", The Coexistence Initiative Chronicle 1, no. 1 (2001)
• “Nonviolent Direct Action in South Africa,” CGNews, January 2002
• “Preventing the Recurrence of Violent Conflict,” in Evolving Concepts of Peacebuilding: Natural Resource
• Management and Conflict Prevention, Foundation for Advanced Studies of International Development, Tokyo, 2001
• Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution during South Africa's Transition to Democracy, USIP Press Books, 2000
• and John Marks, “What do they want me to do?” in Introduction into the Eye of the Storm: A Handbook of International
• Peacebuilding, eds. John Paul Lederach and Janice Moomaw, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2002

Dalia Mogahed

• "America Not Only Nation ‘Under God'", washingtonpost.com blog, June 19, 2007
• "Framing the War on Terror", Gallup News, September 11, 2007
• and Geneive Abdo, "What Muslim Women Want", Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2006
• and John L. Esposito, "Battle for Muslims' Hearts and Minds: The Road Not (Yet) Taken", March 12, 2007
• and John L. Esposito, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think, Gallup Press, 2008
• and Zsolt Nyiri, "Reinventing Integration: Muslims in the West", Harvard International Review 29, no. 2 (2007)

Vali Nasr

• "Behind the Rise of the Shi'ites", Time, December 19, 2006
• "How to squeeze jihadi culture out of Pakistan", Christian Science Monitor, July 20, 2007
• "Musharraf fears democracy, not extremism", Christian Science Monitor, November 6, 2007
• "The Problem is Still the Insurgency", Washington Post, November 21, 2006
• The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future, W.W. Norton, 2006
• and Ray Takeyh, "The Costs of Containing Iran: Washington's Misguided New Middle East Policy", Foreign Affairs 87, no. 1 (2008)
• and Ray Takeyh, "The Iran Option That Isn't on the Table", Washington Post, February 8, 2007
• and Ray Takeyh, "Get Tehran inside the tent", International Herald Tribune, December 6, 2007

Feisal Abdul Rauf

• What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West, HarperCollins, 2004
• and Daisy Khan, "The Ideals We Share: America was built on diversity. The same is true of Islam", Newsweek, July 30, 2007

Dennis Ross

• "A plan for calm, hope and reform in the Middle East", Financial Times, March 27, 2007
• "How to Boost Middle East Democracy", Miami Herald, June 4, 2006
• "Picking Battles", New Republic Online, August 13, 2007
• Statecraft: And How to Restore America's Standing in the World, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007
• "What Rice must do to pave way for Mideast peace deal", USA Today, October 17, 2007
• "What Went Wrong", Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2007

S. Abdallah Schleifer

• "The Impact of Arab Satellite Television on the Prospects of Democracy in the Arab World", May 12, 2005
• "Media and Religion in the Arab/Islamic World", FPRI Templeton Lecture on Religion and World Affairs, October 11, 2006

Jessica Stern

• "Al Qaeda, American Style", New York Times, July 15, 2006
• "Al Qaeda changes its pitch: Marketing jihad", International Herald Tribune, July 17, 2006
• "Flights of fancy: Many Muslim youth espouse jihad as a fad", The Globe and Mail, June 12, 2006
• "Jihad - A Global Fad", Boston Globe, August 1, 2006
• "Keep American Muslims on Our Side", New York Times, September 10, 2006
• Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill, HarperCollins, 2004

Mustapha Tlili

• "Arab Democracy: A Possible Dream?" World Policy Journal 18, no. 3 (2001)

William Ury

• Getting Past No: Negotiating in Difficult Situations, Bantam, 1993
• The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes, Bantam, 2007
• "A Third Alternative in Iraq", United Press International Outside View, June 22, 2007
• The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop, Penguin 2000
• and Roger Fisher and Bruce Patton, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, 2nd ed., Penguin, 1991

Daniel Yankelovich

• "Across the red-blue divide: How to start a conversation", Christian Science Monitor, October 15, 2004 Coming to Public Judgment: Making Democracy Work in a Complex World, Syracuse University Press, 1991
• The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming Conflict into Cooperation, Touchstone, 2001
• "Poll Positions: What Americans Really Think About U.S. Foreign Policy", Foreign Affairs 84, no. 5 (2005)
• "The Tipping Points", Foreign Affairs 85, no. 3 (2006)
• "To defeat Al Qaeda, U.S. must build trust of moderate muslims", Christian Science Monitor, September 20, 2004

Ahmed Younis

• American Muslims: Voir Dire (Speak the Truth), Dawn Books, 2002
• "FreeSpeech: Ahmed Younis", CBI Evening News, September 12, 2006

Dov Zakheim

• "Blending Democracy," National Interest online, September 1, 2005
• "Focus on the Integrity of Borders," National Interest online, November 10, 2006
• "Kipling Redux," National Interest online, September 13, 2007
• "What's in a Name? Ending the ‘War' on Terror," The American Interest, May/June 2008
• and Robert D. Blackwill and Rich Lowry, "Symposium: The Bush Foreign Policy Strategy, Take Two," National Interest online, June 1, 2006