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Table of Contents:
- Bacha Khan and the Taliban: Two Radically Different Visions of Islam
- Educator Webinar: Wednesday, January 27th
- Parent Webinar Recording Available
- Abdelkader Global Leadership Prize Essay Contests for High School and College Students
- New ING Affiliate in Houston, TX
- Feb. 6th Endowment Dinner Asks “Can American Muslims Stay Muslim?”
- Interfaith Allies – Meet Your Muslim Neighbor Events
Bacha Khan and the Taliban:
Two Radically Different Visions of Islam
As reported in the Washington Post last week (1/20/16), four terrorists from a Taliban faction attacked Bacha Khan University in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing at least 20 people—mostly university students. The attackers themselves were reported to be around 20 years old.
There’s a sad irony to this incident. Bacha Khan University is named for a colleague of Mohandas Gandhi in the Indian liberation struggle. Both the Taliban terrorists and Bacha Khan are Muslims—but the difference in their visions of Islam could not be greater.
Read more about Bacha Khan’s life and legacy here.
Educator Webinar: Supporting Your Diverse Classroom
and Resources for Teaching About Islam
Wednesday January 27th, 3:30-4:30pm PST
ING is excited to convene an upcoming Educator Webinar: Supporting Your Diverse Classroom and Resources for Teaching About Islam. This webinar is co-sponsored by the Religious Freedom Center at the Newseum Institute, The Sikh Coalition, Thirteen WNET New York, Unity Productions Foundation, the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, Teaching Tolerance, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Islamic Society of North America, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Tailored for teachers and others involved in education, expert guests will explore what the First Amendment says around teaching about religion in public schools, reputable resources for teachers and educators to use in educating about Islam and World Religions, and best practices for upholding a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students.
ING Deputy Director-Programs Sean Rose, Content Director Ameena Jandali, and Affiliate Director Marcia Beauchamp will present. The webinar runs from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM Pacific time. Special guests include:
- Dr. Charles Haynes, Vice President of the Newseum Institute and Executive Director of the Religious Freedom Center
- Daniel Tutt, Director of Programs, Unity Productions Foundation
- Sara Wicht, Senior Manager of Teaching and Learning, Teaching Tolerance
- Sandy Goldberg, Education Director, WNET [PBS Affiliate]
- Kim Keiserman, Education Program Associate, Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
- Roula Allouch, National Board Chair, Council on American-Islamic Relations
- Arjun Singh, Director of Law and Policy, Sikh Coalition
[Spaces filling up fast – Registration closes at 2:00 PM Pacific]
Parent Webinar: Supporting Your Muslim
Student Recording Now Available Online
On January 9th, ING brought together experts from some of the nation’s leading educational, civil rights, and religious pluralism organizations for a webinar aimed at helping parents and young people navigate issues of tolerance and bullying in our schools.
Help others in your community to address identity-based bullying through knowledge and resources by sharing the recording of the “Supporting Your Muslim Student” webinar on our YouTube channel.
Abdelkader Global Leadership Prize Essay
Contests for High School and College Students
Emir Abdelkader was an Arab Muslim hero from Algeria widely admired as a courageous humanitarian, scholar, statesman, and warrior. He was admired by President Lincoln, Queen Victoria, Pope Pius IX, and countless Muslims and non-Muslims from many nationalities, religions, and social classes. His relevance for our global society today transcends culture and faith traditions.
Each year the Abdelkader Education Project awards six scholarships to college and high school students based on essays on the life of Emir Abdelkader’s life story and values – courage, integrity, intellect, humility and compassion – that transcend culture and faith traditions. The contest is now open – submissions are due April 15th, 2016.
Stay tuned for our upcoming curriculum release about Emir Abdelkader and his legacy of interfaith leadership!
New ING Affiliate in Houston, TX
ING Chief Executive Officer Maha Elgenaidi will be in Houston, Texas this weekend conducting an Islamic Speakers Bureau Training for members of ING’s newest affiliate. As part of the Risala Foundation’s “Never in Our Name – Why ISIS Isn’t Islamic” conference, she will also present a youth workshop called “Responding to Islamophobia.”
Feb. 6th Endowment Supporters Dinner
Keynote speaker: Haroon Moghul
“Can American Muslims Stay Muslim?”
Asking difficult questions to bring about meaningful change
Haroon Moghul is an academic and public commentator, regular guest on network news on Islam and public affairs, and creator of the Confessions Ramadan video series on YouTube. Event time is 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Register here.
Tickets for the event are $55. Free babysitting provided by the Ramadan Playgroup.
Featured Events from Interfaith Allies Program:
Meet Your Muslim Neighbor
ING recently brought together a group of community members – including software engineers, educators, graduate students, and nonprofit workers from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds – to envision our response to the simple question: “How and where can I meet a Muslim?” The result is our Meet Your Muslim Neighbor initiative, which helps community members connect with Muslim individuals and communities in their area. The events below are some of the opportunities that we’ve created to help kick off the program.
Understanding Islam: Buddhist-Muslim Dialogue
Sunday, January 31st, 2:00 PM in Sunnyvale
The media presents conflicting and often negative information about Muslims, Islam, and their relationship to other faiths. To help sort out fact from fiction, ING Speakers Ismael Nass and Aisha Morgan will join Jian Hu Shi, Abbot of the Zen Center of Sunnyvale, to engage in a conversation to promote greater appreciation and understanding of each other’s religious traditions and their relationship to one another. Please join us at the Chung Tai Zen Center for this enlightening conversation. Registration is free, but required.
50th Anniversary of Nostra Aetate: Jewish Reflection
Wednesday, March 16th, 7:00 PM in San Jose
ING Speaker Harry Cornbleet will offer one of a series of reflections by members of different faiths on the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate that opened up the Catholic Church to interfaith dialogue.
