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January 2018 marks ING’s 25th year of promoting peace through education and interfaith engagement. That’s a quarter-century of providing face-to-face presentations that introduce audiences to American Muslims and other faith traditions, a quarter-century of bringing people together across religious and cultural difference to engage in dialogue and mutual understanding for the common good, a quarter-century of educating millions of Americans about the vibrant religious freedom and pluralism that the United States was founded upon. Here’s a quick snapshot of what we’ve accomplished in the past 25 years.
ING’s History of Achievements
February
ING celebrates 25 years of education and interreligious engagement.
April
Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi honored with the “Dorothy Irene Height Community Award” from the San Jose Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
December
ING reaches over 15 million people through traditional media.
ING generates 13 million social media impressions over a number of Know Your Neighbor: Multifaith Encounters campaigns.
February
Know Your Neighbor: Multifaith Encounters program launched.
June
INGYouth program launched, begins training teen American Muslims across the country.
March
First of its kind Muslim-Jewish Halaqa-Seder event hosted in Palo Alto.
ING partners with Congressman Mike Honda to inform educators about ING’s programs and better address bullying problems in schools.
December
The Know Your Neighbor coalition of 15 organizations launches at the White House with ING as a founding member.
January
ING invited to White House to live-tweet President Obama’s State of the Union address.
February
Annual Dinner featuring Imam Suhaib Webb, Dalia Mogahed, and youth speakers.
January
ING affiliate leaders Shakila Ahmed, Zehra Wamiq, and Zulfat Suara invited to attend inaugural events, including the swearing-in, parade, and ball for President Barack Obama’s second term
June
ING convenes an Affiliate Conference in San Jose, California which was attended by more than half of the ING affiliate directors.
August
ING attends the White House Ramadan iftar dinner for the second year.
October
ING releases more of its online curriculum for educators in addition to answers to frequently asked questions about Islam, Muslims, and Sharia.
February
ING releases the first of its kind iPhone app called “Multifaith News and Events”, which featured a breaking religious news feed, a yearly calendar of major world religious holidays, introductions to Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam with a glossary of over 200 terms.
July
ING conducts the first of a series of Bullying Prevention seminars at the Muslim Youth of North America and Islamic Society of North America conferences, reaching over 500 Muslim youth.
August
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi attends White House Ramadan iftar dinner and is seated at President Barack Obama’s table.
December
ING releases the first of its online curriculum resources for educators.
ING reaches over a third of the United States through its Affiliates program: 21 affiliates in 19 states, including California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Missouri.
February
ING releases the first of its kind iPhone app called “Multifaith News and Events”, which featured a breaking religious news feed, a yearly calendar of major world religious holidays, introductions to Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam with a glossary of over 200 terms.
July
ING conducts the first of a series of Bullying Prevention seminars at the Muslim Youth of North America and Islamic Society of North America conferences, reaching over 500 Muslim youth.
August
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi attends White House Ramadan iftar dinner and is seated at President Barack Obama’s table.
December
ING releases the first of its online curriculum resources for educators.
ING reaches over a third of the United States through its Affiliates program: 21 affiliates in 19 states, including California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Missouri.
April
ING convenes several meetings with the United States Department of Education and the White House to discuss the problem of bullying of Muslim and South Asian students.
June
ING attends a conversation with the Department of Education on the role of community-based organizations in American education.
August
ING was one of three Muslim-founded organizations in the nation that were first to be accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The BBB accreditation certifies that ING is a well-run and operated nonprofit organization and that it meets accountability standards that go beyond state and federal requirements.
March
ING launches the first of its kind Interfaith Speakers Bureau.
March
ING establishes a Board of Trustees whose first members include Isha Abdullah, Kamal Ahmed, Amer Haider, Faisal Haq, Imam Faheem Shuaibe, and Marwa Elzankaly.
March
ING initiates a campaign to prevent harassment of Muslim and Arab children in schools during the Iraq War, beginning with a press conference attended by police chiefs, district superintendents, school board members, and leaders of various communities and organizations. The campaign included opinion pieces in three major Bay Area newspapers, mosque workshops for parents and youth on hate prevention, and mailings on harassment prevention sent to 5,000 district superintendents, principals, and social studies teachers in eight Northern California counties.
August
ING releases a Muslim activist guide titled “MSA Series: Presenting Islam on College Campuses Coordinator’s Start-Up Kit.”
ING releases CDs with nine presentations for public institutions, including schools, law enforcement agencies, corporations, and churches.
September
In response to the September 11th terrorist attacks ING initiates a series of media and community events including press statements, vigils, speakers and spokesperson training, and letter to schools on bullying on Muslim children.
ING receives an unprecedented number of requests (100% increase) from a variety of institutions.
December
ING holds the first of its kind healthcare seminar for Kaiser Permanente employees at Kaiser Facilities in all of California, Oregon, and Hawaii.
February
ING publishes “School Series, Presenting Islam in Schools, Grades 7-12 Coordinator’s Start-Up Kit,” with step-by-step procedures for starting and operating an Islamic Speakers Bureau.
May
ING initiates its first affiliated bureau outside of California in Phoenix, Arizona.
May
ING holds the first of its kind corporate training at Santa Clara County Water District.
June
ING holds a hate crime prevention training at Muslim Community Association in Santa Clara.
July
ING holds the first of its kind training seminar for San Jose Unified School District teachers and school administrators.
August
ING participates for the first time in ISNA’s annual convention, where it has participated in workshops and main sessions ever since.
January
ING becomes officially incorporated as a non-profit 501c3 educational organization.
April
Following Oklahoma City Bombings ING organizes meetings between local media outlets and Muslim leaders similar to 1993 meetings.
July
ING organizes the first of its kind series of meetings between national media outlets and national Muslim leaders to address coverage of Islam and Muslims. Meetings were held at 15 national media outlets including NYT, WSJ, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC-Radio, CBS-Radio, NPR, AP, Reuters. Representatives of ISNA, AMC, MPAC and WD Muhammad Ministry attended the meetings.
January
ING holds the first of its kind training seminar for social service agencies, at Santa Clara County Social Services Agency.
February
ING begins the first of its kind media campaign in the San Francisco Bay Area, focusing on Ramadan and Eid ul-Fitr.
April
ING initiates the first of its kind law enforcement program, including membership in hate crime networks, cultural competency police trainings, and advisor for state Commission on Police Officers Standards and Trainings (POST).
February
Organization first formed under the name “Bay Area Media Watch.” The central focus of the organization initially was to monitor and react to biased media coverage relating to Islam and Muslims.
September
ING changes its name to Islamic Networks Group (ING) and becomes more proactive by educating the media and other public institutions about Islam and Muslims.
ING initiates the first of its kind “Islamic Speakers Bureau” program for schools and colleges. In its first year, ING presented to 350 classrooms.