Last week, ING Founder Maha Elgenaidi spoke on a panel with Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, and playwright Luis Valdez. Larry Stone, Santa Clara County Assessor, moderated the group, which spoke on the progress or regress of social justice in America. The San Jose Mercury News described the panel as, “A luminous group talking about a thorny topic – immigration and racial fear.” You can read the full article here.

A Muslim pharmacist, a Chinese businesswoman, and a wildlife-saving Army veteran walk into a room. Oh, and the veteran is a Protestant chaplain who works with the Pagan community. Whatever could they have in common?

ING speaker and pharmacist Nora Talebi joined a panel of faith representatives to discuss end of life issues for the hospice organization VITAS on April 30th. She joined other panelists in presenting some of the practical steps to make interaction with the families and patients more effective and culturally competent. An article in Psychology Today describes the panel with the title, “Is Death the New High School?”

Nora Talebi, the pharmacist representing the Islamic Speakers Bureau has brought a prayer rug, a plate engraved with Koranic verses, and a Koran on a bookstand to show what visitors might notice when they enter an Islamic home. “Often a Muslim family will say they have no need for outside help,” Talebi says to the assembled the social workers, case managers and chaplains who work for hospice and palliative care agencies. “In Islamic homes, too, the family is very important. Aunts, cousins, everyone has a role. Two Muslim families may not speak the same language. After all, there are more than 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, two-thirds in the Asia-Pacific region.”

To read the entire article, visit here . To learn more about or request an End-of-Life or Healthcare for the Muslim Patient presentation or panel, visit here. 

 
The Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona (ISBA), along with other Muslim organizations in Phoenix, serves on the Arizona Muslim Police Advisory Board (AMPAB). This Board was formed after the September 11th attacks as a way for local law enforcement and the Muslim community to meet once a quarter and address any issues that may arise and find solutions for ways in which the Muslim community and law enforcement can work together to be proactive in keeping citizens safe. The Phoenix Police Department has been working with other minority communities as well and as a logical next step, held its first Community Advisory Board Summit last month in order to allow all of these minority communities an opportunities to meet, network and work together for the greater good of all.