As many of you may be aware, a horrible letter has been circulating in the U.K. (and the U.S. virtually) encouraging individuals to participate in “Punish a Muslim Day” on April 3rd.

While we hope this letter is simply an empty threat and that it never gains traction in the United States (thanks to the efforts of Muslim Advocates who has been busy contact social media companies about it), we want to be prepared to respond in case it does impact the U.S. and distract from this negativity by overshadowing it with messages of solidarity and understanding, and by encouraging Americans to be upstanders in the face of hate.

We will NOT be calling out the “Punish a Muslim Day” directly, as we do not want to draw any attention to it, but instead hope that you will join us on social media in sharing positive tweets and posts as a part of our Know Your Neighbor: Be an Upstander campaign.

We already have the support of some of our campaign partners in this effort, such as the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, Beyond Differences, Muslim Advocates and the Council on American-Islamic Relations—California who have been at the forefront of these efforts.

We especially hope that those active on social media are able to join us for a Twitter Storm on April 3rd from 12 pm EST/9 am PST until 3 pm EST/12 pm PST.

Participating in a Twitter Storm is as simple as scheduling multiple posts (which you can find pre-created for your convenience below) during this time frame.

As a KYN member we also invite you to participate in this campaign in one or all of the following three ways:

1. Sharing your own posts on social media using the hashtag #KnowYourNeighbor. These posts could include videos, images, posts, news articles, and other relevant materials. We ask that you use #KnowYourNeighbor so that we can share your posts as well as those of others participating in this campaign.
2. Sharing SAMPLE videos, posts, tweets and images that we’ve created for the campaign. See samples below.  We also have many more on the webpage: www.ing.org/KYN-upstander
3. Sharing this campaign with your networks on your social media platforms and listservs to encourage community members across the nation to share their ideas on being an upstander.

Sample Posts
You can find more at www.ing.org/kyn-upstander

Voice Your Solidarity:

• I, [insert name/organization] stand beside my fellow Americans regardless of religion, ethnicity, or politics and uphold their right to feel safe. I vow to care for all my neighbors despite our differences. Join the #KnowYourNeighbor Campaign: www.ing.org/kyn-upstander
• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. #KnowYourNeighbor www.ing.org/kyn-upstander
• Stand up against all forms of hatred and bigotry before they start. Join the #KnowYourNeighbor Campaign and pursue unity in the United States and beyond: www.ing.org/kyn-upstander

If You See Something, Do Something:

• We usually think of hate crimes as violent acts. But the suspicion and fear of the “other” that precedes them is also dangerous to our country. Stand up for all people and join the #KnowYourNeighbor Campaign: www.ing.org/kyn-upstander
• If you are targeted or experience a hate crime because of an anti-Muslim group’s vile attempts to demonize Muslims, inform Muslim Advocates right away: http://bit.ly/2IMunFU Find more #KnowYourNeighbor resources by visiting www.ing.org/kyn-upstander
• Looking for great resources to lead the conversation about hate, discrimination, and bigotry? The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia has compiled resources: www.interfaithcenterpa.org/resources. For more resources follow the #KnowYourNeighbor Campaign: www.ing.org/kyn-upstander

Students: Take Action:

• We’ve seen the power of young people organizing across lines of difference to address pressing social issues facing us all. We’re proud of them for being upstanders! Join the #KnowYourNeighbor Campaign and learn how you can help: www.ing.org/kyn-upstander
• Looking for great resources to lead the conversation about hate, discrimination, and bigotry? The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia has compiled resources: www.interfaithcenterpa.org/resources. For more resources follow the #KnowYourNehboigr Campaign: www.ing.org/kyn-upstander
• In our current climate of anxiety, fear, and mistrust of “the other”, @BeyondDiff’s Know Your Classmates curriculum is needed now more than ever! www.knowyourclassmates.org Find more #KnowYourNeighbor resources by visiting: www.ing.org/kyn-upstander