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Featured Events
Teacher Reflects on Impact
of ING Presentation
ING Deputy Director Ishaq Pathan and Content Manager Ameena Jandali presented “Everyday People Resisting Islamophobia” to an East Bay school. Students were energized to learn about common Islamophobic frames, the history of Islamophobia, and what they could do to counter it.
The teacher who requested the presentation expressed much appreciation afterward and noted that the presentation “touched a chord in my students–many of whom were born in other countries or are from families of fairly recent immigrants. Rather than dwelling on the mistakes of the past, the presentation emphasized the need for the population to be educated and informed rather than controlled by fear.” This presentation was a continuation of a multi-year relationship between ING and the school. Just this past October, ING Deputy Director spoke to the same classes about Muslim contributions to civilization to supplement world history curriculum.
To learn more about Islamophobia and its impact, check out our online curriculum here.
The Case Against Patriarchy in Islam
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi published an article titled, “The Case Against Patriarchy in Islam” in the winter 2019 issue of Tikkun Magazine.
In her article she writes, “Overcoming patriarchy in the Muslim community is not simply a matter of fulfilling a social or political demand; it is a fundamental religious obligation. I therefore call upon my sisters and brothers in the Muslim world to join with me and others to build a movement aimed at challenging patriarchal cultural, religious and political structures, practices, or teachings.“
Read the full article here.
ING Article Published in National Council for the
Social Studies SocialEducation Journal
The National Council for the Social Studies published an article written by ING staff in their January/February journal SocialEducaton. The article titled “The Bullying of Religious Minorities in Schools: Consequences and Solutions” is an excerpt from a longer article about bullying which will be included in an upcoming NCSS book. The article describes the prevalence of bullying of South Asian, Hindu, Sikh, Arab, and Muslim students and identifies solutions for schools and classrooms.
They wrote, “No student should suffer from bullying, bias, or discrimination; it must be a school’s top priority that this behavior should not occur and that it should be swiftly addressed when it does. Only then will our schools be places of safety, growth and learning for all American students.“
The full article is accessible to NCSS members here.
Cast Your Vote For ING’s Session in Netroots Nation
This year, ING and our partner America Indivisible submitted a Netroots Nation conference proposal titled, “Beyond Progressive Lip Service: How to Identify Liberal Islamophobia and Address It.” The panel will serve as a constructive opportunity for progressive leaders to deeply interrogate the ways that their well-intentioned ally-ship may actually be detrimental to bigotry impacted communities. Participants will walk away with concrete and tangible ideas on how to challenge liberal/progressive forms of anti-Muslim bigotry when they see it.
To present this panel at this year’s conference, ING needs your votes! You can vote for this session daily until voting closes on March 11 at 11:59pm. You must be registered to cast a vote which you can do here. Once you are registered and logged in, please vote online here for the panel titled: “Beyond Progressive Lip Service: How to Identify Liberal Islamophobia and Address It.”
Upcoming Events
I am Spiritual and Not Religious: March 14 in San Jose
ING Speaker Ismael Nass-Duce will join an interfaith panel hosted by the Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (SiVIC) that will explore the various ways people engage in their faith in modern times. For more information, visit their site.
The Need for Unity Amongst Faiths in a Time of Political Polarization: March 18 in San Francisco
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi will join an interfaith panel hosted by the San Francisco Interfaith Council that will explore the role of organized religion in times of great polarization. The panel will be facilitated by Michael Pappas of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, with speakers Rabbi Noa Kushner (Jewish) and Father Richard Smith, PhD (Christian). To book an interfaith panel, visit our site.
Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes:
March 18 in San Jose
ING Speaker Raania Mohsen will present “Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes” to a group of graduate students pursuing careers in counseling at San Jose State University. This presentation will begin with an overview of the status of Muslim women today in areas such as education, work, government, and movements for reform and will go on to highlight the contributions of notable Muslim women both historically and today in politics, academia, sports, and other fields. It will also address some of the major misconceptions about Muslim women and conclude with an overview of Muslim organizations working for women’s rights. To schedule a presentation about Muslim women, visit our site.
Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith: March 19 in Oakland
ING Deputy Director Ishaq Pathan will present “Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith” to students at Holy Names University. He will introduce the beliefs and practices of American Muslims today in all their diversity and present the long history of Muslims in America. To book a presentation about American Muslims, visit our site.
Countering Islamophobia in Our Schools:
April 3 in Milpitas
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi will present a diversity seminar to administrators, educators, and school staff at the Milpitas Unified School District. The seminar will provide them with an understanding of the challenges faced by Muslim students and parents in the current political environment and of solutions for addressing these challenges. To schedule a diversity seminar, visit our site.
Past Events’ Highlights
ING Received Positive Results on SJSU Law Enforcement Training
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi presented a cultural diversity seminar to the San Jose State University Police Department to increase awareness of American Muslim culture, enhance cultural competency skills, and develop relationships with American Muslim students on campus. The results of the evaluation were all very positive with comments such as “I feel that this class has really helped open my awareness to the challenges that Muslim students and faculty and staff are facing.” To book a cultural diversity seminar, visit our site.
Students Surprised to Learn of Similarities Between Islam, Judaism and Christianity
Supplementing world history curriculum, ING Speaker Ismael Nass-Duce presented “Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith” to a private Catholic high school in Sunnyvale. The teacher remarked, “Students were very interested to discover that Muslims recognize the prophets and revelations of Jews and Christians [and] appreciated the sincerity of the speaker.” To book a presentation about American Muslims, visit our site.
ING Met with Berkeley Chapter of the
Japanese American Citizen League
ING Deputy Director Ishaq Pathan spoke to the board of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) of Berkeley about the history of ING, an overview of our programs, and ways to collaborate. To learn more about ING programs, visit our site.
ING Delivered a Class on Islamophobia and its Roots in Orientalism
ING Content Manager Ameena Jandali presented “Connecting the Roots of Islamophobia to Orientalism, Racialization, and Xenophobia” as well as “Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes ” via webinar to a high school in Massachusetts yesterday. Among other topics, the class talked about Islamophobia and the way it is portrayed in the media. The teacher is planning to turn their studies about Islam and Muslims into a showcase for the community. To book a presentation about similar topics, visit our site.
ING Delivered Interfaith Panel for Volunteer Trainees at Family Services Center
ING Speaker Noni Azhar facilitated an ING interfaith panel with Hindu, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim speakers to a group of volunteer trainees at the Bill Wilson Center in Santa Clara on “Religion and Pluralism.” ING received positive feedback from both the requester of the panel and the volunteer trainees. A Santa Clara University student who observed this panel remarked, “Not only were the speakers for the panel passionate and knowledgable, but they were also incredibly funny! Although they were talking about deep, philosophical ideas, there was a constant thread of love and humor that connected every religion. As a person who does not identify as religious, I found this panel to be warm, welcoming, and informative. I left feeling like I understood each individual religion better, but also religion as a whole more deeply. It was an honor to hear from all of the wonderful speakers.” To book an interfaith panel, visit our site.
Students Learned Ways to Overcome Islamophobic Misconceptions Through Education
ING Deputy Director Ishaq Pathan met with a group of students from the Seven Sleepers Academy to speak with them about their school experiences and discuss important considerations on using education to clear up misconceptions about and stereotypes of Muslims. For our INGYouth resource on educating about Muslims, visit our site.
ING Panel at Private Residence Asked to Return
Members of ING’s Interfaith Speakers Bureau Berget Jelane (Buddhist) and Madhu Kopalle (Hindu) presented an interfaith panel on “Living the Faith” at a private residence in Los Gatos. The requester of the presentation was very pleased with the panel and has already asked ING to come for another event. To book an interfaith panel, visit our site.
ING Participated in Webinar Co-Sponsored by ING Midwest Affiliate
ING Content Manager Ameena Jandali delivered a webinar presentation on “Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes” for the Muslim Student Association at Western Michigan University, co-sponsored by our ING Midwest affiliate. She described some of the common stereotypes about Muslim women and their sources before describing prominent Muslim women in diverse fields, including heads of state. To request a similar presentation in person or via webinar visit our site.
Islamic Networks Group (ING) is a national peacemaking organization working through education and interfaith and intercultural engagement to promote mutual understanding and respect among Americans of all religious and cultural backgrounds.