Staff Insights
Pope Francis, a New Hope For Muslim-Catholic Relations
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared at the Huffington Post. As an American Muslim activist, it may shock you to find out that I’m absolutely enthralled with the appointment of the new pope. Sure, like many Americans, I am fascinated by the… Read More
Reflections of ING President on Iftar Dinner with President Obama
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion appeared at the ING blog. I had the honor and distinction of sitting at President Obama’s table at the White House iftar dinner on Wednesday, August 10th. The iftar (breaking of fast) dinner is a tradition that was initiated during… Read More
Civil liberties: Unnecessary humiliation is not “normal”
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared at Patheos. Upon my return to the United States from an overseas trip, I was singled out by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for special screening, and then subjected to personal questioning and a… Read More
Offensive caricatures tantamount to shouting ‘fire’ in crowded theater
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared in the San Jose Mercury News (link unavailable). Jerry Ceppos’ op-ed article Tuesday (“We must see cartoons to understand furor”) poses interesting questions about why U.S. newspapers have not shown the offensive Danish cartoons. As a Muslim American, I… Read More
Celebrating the Fourth of July – An Arab-Muslim-American’s Journey to Discovering their American-ness
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion appeared at the ING blog. As an American of Arab ancestry and Muslim background, I’ve always felt slightly disingenuous about becoming emotionally involved in the 4th of July holiday. I was never quite sure about my American-ness, despite my citizenship,… Read More
