Staff Insights
Why Muslims Must Continue to Stand Up to Anti-Semitism
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared at Patheos. On April 7, congregants of Shaare Torah in Gaithersburg, Maryland, found their synagogue defaced with swastikas and profanity. The incident devastated congregants like Michael Weisel, who said, “When my wife called me and… Read More
American Muslim Groups as “Native Informants” of Neo-Orientalism: Essentialism, Reproduction, and Intellectual Manipulation
y Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This paper originally appeared in Avicenna: The Stanford Journal of Muslim Affairs. This paper seeks to show how U.S. Muslim organizations are inadvertently contributing to a new form of Orientalism by reproducing old tropes in their efforts to combat it. The paper begins… Read More
ING Speech at Women’s Interfaith Dialogue
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This speech was delivered on November 15th, 2014, for a gathering of over one hundred Christian, Muslim, and Jewish women who came together at Congregation Shir Hadash in Los Gatos for a discussion of the book “The Faith Club” by Suzanne Oliver, Ranya… Read More
ING Speech at Women’s Interfaith Dialogue
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This speech was delivered on November 15th, 2014, for a gathering of over one hundred Christian, Muslim, and Jewish women who came together at Congregation Shir Hadash in Los Gatos for a discussion of the book “The Faith Club” by Suzanne Oliver, Ranya… Read More
Being UnMosqued and Complacent is No Longer an Option
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared at Patheos. I broke down in tears recently while recording an interview for the Taleef Collective, which really surprised me. I was talking with the filmmaker Mustafa Davis about my views on the purposes of… Read More
Face-to-Face Interaction is Key to Changing Misperceptions of Muslims
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared at the Huffington Post. Pastor Michael Barnes of Gordon Uniting Church in New South Wales, Australia, said it best, “I have found connection with people of other religious traditions to be fascinating and stimulating. It… Read More
Fewer Americans view Muslims favorably, but the door is wide open to better understanding
Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared at the Huffington Post. A new poll by Zogby Associates, a leading public opinion research firm, has both disquieting and encouraging news about Muslims. Disquieting is the fact that the percentage of Americans viewing Muslims favorably has declined over… Read More
Coming in from the Cold: Pew Survey Reveals Continuing Icy Attitudes toward Muslims
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared at the Huffington Post. Prejudice against Muslims and Islam is still rampant among the U.S. public, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Institute. The widely respected polling organization took a novel approach, asking… Read More
Ramadan 2014: Reclaiming the Sacred, Five Uniting Religious Principles
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion appeared at the ING blog. As the holy month of Ramadan begins in earnest, we are excited to launch a new series on the First Principles of Religion. Each week during this month, we will provide a detailed reading of… Read More
The Secret Power of Interfaith Encounters
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director, and Daniel Tutt. This opinion originally appeared at the Huffington Post. As a Christian who works closely with the Muslim community, and as a Muslim who was brought back to my own faith by the beauty I found in… Read More
