Sign up for the ING newsletter to receive news and announcements.
ING Reflections on Recent Terror Attacks:
The Idolatry of Violence vs. the Worship of God
“We believe that the God of love and mercy whom we worship is infinitely greater than the idols before which these apostles of hate bow down. And we know that by moving forward faithfully in our mission of building understanding and respect among all faiths and all people we can and will overcome the forces that seek to divide us into warring factions.”
Read our full statement here.
Reflections Specific to the Sri Lanka Terror Attack:
“We must root out any traces of bigotry and bias within ourselves and then, firmly and lovingly, work to root them out of our family, our community, our nation. We must all be upstanders against racism and bigotry, however and wherever they present themselves. We cannot bring the dead back to life, but we can make of these deaths and our grief the soil for new life by giving our all to building a world of mutual understanding, respect, and peace.”
Read the full statement here.
Please Take our Survey to Help Improve our Weekly Newsletter
We would greatly appreciate your feedback on our weekly newsletter so we can improve our reporting in a way that meet everyones’ interests. Please complete this 1 minute survey here.
ING Interfaith Panel on Religion and Pluralism at
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi and members of our Interfaith Speakers Bureau (IFSB) spoke on an ING panel on “Religion and Pluralism” moderated by Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Attended by 80+ residents, each panelist discussed how their full commitment to their faith included respecting the diversity of faiths and beliefs of all people, and answered a number of audience questions about the range of beliefs within each faith, shared ethical values that they held in common and how audience members can create a more pluralistic society. To book an interfaith ING panel, visit our site.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, May 1st, 2019:
- Understanding Muslim Students: Fostering an Inclusive Environment, Santa Clara County Office of Education, San Jose, CA. Find more information here.
Thursday, May 2nd, 2019:
- Mary in the Holy Qur’an, Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, CA. Find more information here.
Thursday, May 16th, 2019:
- Overview of ING and Combating Islamophobia, Art Ventures Gallery, Menlo Park, CA. Find more information here.
Friday, May 17th, 2019:
- Religious Diversity, Harvard Club of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Find more information here.
Saturday, May 18th, 2019:
- Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith, Masjid Zakariya, Fremont, CA. Find more information here.
Sunday, May 19th, 2019:
- 26th Anniversary Ramadan Iftar with ING, Shannon Community Center, Dublin, CA. Find more information and RSVP here.
Sunday, May 26th, 2019:
- 26th Anniversary Ramadan Iftar with ING, Lucie Stern Community Center, Palo Alto, CA. Find more information and RSVP here.
- Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes, Stone Church of Willow Glen, San Jose, CA. Find more information here.
If you are interested in attending any of these upcoming events, please write to [email protected].
Highlights of Past Events
ING Completed “Understanding Islam”
Series at Saratoga Civic Theater
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi joined Jihad Turk, President of Bayan Claremont Islamic Graduate School, for the second of a three-part Commonwealth Club series on “Understanding Islam,” moderated by Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian in Saratoga. The conversation on “Fear of a Faith: Sharia. Surveillance. Terrorism. The Muslim Ban. What’s real, and what’s not?” focused on the policies, politics, and current events that affect U.S. understandings of Islam and Muslims. A couple of nights later, Maha joined Anita Husen, educator and linguist and previous director of the Markaz at Stanford University, for the last event in this series on “Women and Islam.” This discussion focused on what it means to be a Muslim woman and how Islam intersects with gender in today’s world. To book an ING presentation on American Muslims, visit our site.
ING Received Positive Feedback for Presentation at Glide Kids
ING Deputy Director Ishaq Pathan had an interactive discussion on Muslims, Islam, and peace with kids between the ages of 5 and 12 at Glide Kids in San Francisco. The requester of the presentation said, “That was such a sweet time with the kids. I really appreciate how you engaged them, had them do most of the talking and responded warmly to their input. I am confident that your work with ING is changing the future. Again thanks so much for your time and skill and kindness.” To book a presentation about American Muslims, visit our site.
ING Hosted Chaplaincy Institute Students on Tour of Berkeley Mosque
ING Content Manager Ameena Jandali hosted a group of students from the Chaplaincy Institute at the Berkeley Mosque, where she gave an overview of Friday prayer service before and answered questions after the service. The students asked a wide range of questions, including questions about separation of the genders, the role of an Imam, washing before the prayers, sexuality and marriage, and the challenges and benefits of living as a Muslim. The attendees were deeply appreciative of the knowledge they gained and of their experience visiting a mosque. To book a presentation like this, visit our site.
ING Workshops Empowered Middle School
Students to Speak Out Against Bullying
ING Deputy Director Ishaq Pathan hosted two workshops on “Standing Up for My Community! Tackling Religious Based Bullying” during the 22nd Annual Oakland Middle School Peer Resource & Ethnic Studies Conference at Mills College. These sessions provided students a space to discuss their experiences of religious and cultural identity-based bullying and gave them different tools, resources, and skills to address this bullying and stand up with, and for, their school community. Students were engaged and left empowered to use their voice against bullying. To learn more about our youth workshops, visit our site.
Middle School Educator Expressed Sincere Appreciation for ING’s Work
Supplementing school curriculum, ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi presented “Getting to Know Muslim American and Their Faith” to middle school students in Los Gatos. The requester of the presentation said, “Maha could not have been a better choice for our audience and she made incredible impressions upon our students! We are so very grateful that she could come…I cannot say enough positive things about her, her work, her honest, sincere, compassionate and tactful approach to students and their curiosities.” To book a presentation on American Muslims, visit our site.
High School Students in San Mateo Received
ING Presentation During School Assembly
Supplementing school curriculum, ING Deputy Director Ishaq Pathan presented “Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith” to high school students in San Mateo. He discussed prayer and other daily Muslim practices, beliefs about the afterlife and creation, and commonalities among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. To book a presentation about American Muslims, visit our site.
ING Gave Cultural Competency Seminar for the San Francisco FBI Division
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi and Deputy Director Ishaq Pathan delivered a 4-hour cultural competency training seminar on “Working With American Muslim Communities” for the San Francisco Bay Area Division of the FBI. They addressed Bay Area Muslim American demographics and profiles based on surveys and polls, challenges Muslims confront as a result of racism and Islamophobia, and the deep roots of bigotry in the United States that often lead to harmful domestic and foreign policies, the rate of hate crimes against Muslim communities, and policing best practices for hate crime prevention and response, as well as the value and importance of building relationships with Muslim institutions and community organizations. Valuable and honest discussions also took place throughout the training. We appreciated very much the opportunity to do this training and have this conversation with the local FBI office. To request a cultural diversity seminar for law enforcement, visit our site.
University of San Francisco Muslim Student Association
Expressed Gratitude for ING Presentation
ING Content Manager Ameena Jandali spoke to a group of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students, and to faculty, for the University of San Francisco’s Muslim Student Association. She presented demographics and history of Muslims in the United States, corrected common misconceptions relating to extremism and women’s rights, and discussed Muslims’ views on pluralism and Islam’s relationship to other faiths. The audience was very appreciative. To request a presentation about Muslim Americans, visit our site.
ING Presented at Peace Officer Standard and Training Regional Workshop
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi presented a cultural diversity seminar on “Developing Cultural Competency: Working With American Muslim Communities” for the Santa Clara County Police Chiefs’ Association as part of the POST Chief Executives Regional Workshop in Monterey. To request a cultural diversity seminar for law enforcement, visit our site.
Islamic Networks Group (ING) is a non-profit organization with affiliates and partners around the country that are pursuing peace and countering all forms of bigotry through education and interfaith engagement while working within the framework of the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom and pluralism.