Nora Talebi is a pharmacist, mother, and long-time ING speaker from the East Bay. In this video, she explains what inspired her to join ING, the impact she has presenting in a classroom, and what ING means to her. She represents a smart, professional, Muslim mother who joined ING for her children.

“I got involved for my children. I wanted them to feel comfortable feeling like they are both American and Muslim and part of this culture. The best way was to educate about who Muslims are.”

Muslim Women:
Smart, Professional, Eloquent

Nora, a pharmacist and a mother, embodies a typical American Muslim woman, yet audiences are consistently surprised to discover that she is Muslim when she walks into a classroom. As she states in the video:

“Just by entering the classroom as a Muslim woman I dispel stereotypes. I get to see a change in expressions on their faces. It is very fulfilling and rewarding.“

The impact of ING speaker’s face-to-face interaction with students and other audiences is documented in the 2012-2014 ING Impact Report which shows the dramatic impact of ING presentations on students’ perception of Muslim women as oppressed:

• The percentage of those who believe that Islam promotes the oppression of women fell by 75%
• The percentage of those who think Muslims “view women as inferior” fell by 80%
• The percentage of those who stated that “when they think of American Muslims they think of high level professionals” more than doubled while the percentage of those viewing Muslims as non-professionals dropped by more than half.