A recent wave of Black Lives Matter protests has captivated the globe with debates about racism and white supremacy taking center stage. A polarized narrative is affecting the public discourse, providing fodder for division leaving majority of individuals without the tools to stop polarization from taking root.  Although the current dialogue surrounding Racism In America may result in long-ignored structures which sustain it, there is a dire need to “do better” – to read, to learn, and to listen as a pathway to end racism. This starts with developing effective methods to actively delegitimize divisiveness and curb all types of hate rhetoric.

At WISE we do not believe that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, we believe all humans are equal and human dignity is a birthright. To that end, we embed pluralism, equality, and justice into all our work because we believe that the denial of these values violate both Islamic principles and America’s foundational values.

We work from the bottom up as a grassroots movement to foster pluralism among a diverse range of groups, to promote human equality and establish justice for people, regardless of gender, race, religion and ethnicity.

In 2024 WISE will spearhead a plan of action centered around an upcoming publication, WISE Up – White Supremacy aimed at “re-educating the public on the subject of White Supremacy and its inflammatory rhetoric targeted at Muslims and other minorities. Past experience shows that law enforcement tactics alone cannot curb the rise of extremists groups including Alt-Right Extremist and White Supremist groups. It is vital to develop community engagement resources aimed at understanding the commonalities shared among all extremist groups, the drivers (psychological, social, political, and  ideological) which motivate individuals to join and how the weaponization of religion provides moral justification for acts of violence.