Community Statements

ING Condemns NYC Plot and Supports Efforts against Extremism; 3/6/10

(San Jose, CA 05/05/2010) – ING (Islamic Networks Group) joins American Muslims and all Americans in voicing outrage at the latest in a string of attacks or plots in recent months that have been perpetrated by Muslims. Saturday’s plot to explode an SUV in Times Square was foiled due to the bravery of New York residents – including a Senegalese Muslim Aliou Niasse, who was the first to notice the smoking car – and the swift work of law enforcement agencies. Plots or attacks such as this that target innocent people are nothing less than hiraba, an Arabic word that means “sowing corruption on earth.” Hiraba is strictly condemned by the Qur’an in the strongest terms, as is the taking of innocent lives, one of the most egregious crimes in Islam. This heinous strategy of targeting innocent civilians going about their lives has become the hallmark of groups claiming to represent Islam against their fellow countrymen and co-religionists in places like Iraq and Pakistan. We support all efforts to both counter the ideology that twists Islamic teachings and sanctions prohibited actions, and prevent the reoccurrence of such unspeakable acts. We applaud the efforts of organizations such as the Muslim Public Affairs Council which is working with law enforcement agencies in concrete ways to combat extremism through its recommendations in a report titled, Forging an Effective Counterterrorism Enterprise between Muslim Americans and Law Enforcement. Read More

ING Participates in Federal Government Meetings; 3/14/10

In response to Comedy Central’s decision to censor an episode of a recent “South Park” featuring a cartoon depiction of the Prophet Muhammad after receiving threats from Muslim extremists, May 20th has been designated “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” on a Facebook page with the same name. Since then, even the proponent of the original idea, Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris who first suggested the day last month now says the campaign “has lost its anti-censorship focus and is now being used to bash ordinary Muslims.” She also told the Washington Post that “the Facebook protest had become ‘vitriolic and worse, offensive to Muslims who had nothing to do with the censorship issue I was inspired to draw about in the first place.’” Additionally, Jon Wellington, who set up the Facebook page, has quit the site, saying, “I did not create this event to encourage people to be deliberately offensive, by equating the silliness of those zealots with the entire Islamic faith and its bazillions of adherents, a few of whom I am lucky to count among my friends.” Read More

Responding to 'Draw Muhammad Day' 5/20/10

In response to Comedy Central’s decision to censor an episode of a recent “South Park” featuring a cartoon depiction of the Prophet Muhammad after receiving threats from Muslim extremists, May 20th has been designated “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” on a Facebook page with the same name. Since then, even the proponent of the original idea, Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris who first suggested the day last month now says the campaign “has lost its anti-censorship focus and is now being used to bash ordinary Muslims.” She also told the Washington Post that “the Facebook protest had become ‘vitriolic and worse, offensive to Muslims who had nothing to do with the censorship issue I was inspired to draw about in the first place.’” Additionally, Jon Wellington, who set up the Facebook page, has quit the site, saying, “I did not create this event to encourage people to be deliberately offensive, by equating the silliness of those zealots with the entire Islamic faith and its bazillions of adherents, a few of whom I am lucky to count among my friends.” Read More

ING President Meets with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

The Honorable Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Arne Duncan. 06/25/10- ING President Maha Elgenaidi participated in a meeting this week hosted by the U.S. Department of Education in Washington D.C. Leaders of secular and faith-based organizations were invited for a briefing and dialogue on the President’s education agenda and the critical role of community based organizations in American education. Moderated by Peter Groff, Director of the Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the meeting had among its speakers and discussants Arne Duncan, the honorable U.S. Secretary of Education; Martha Kanter, Under Secretary; Jim Shelton, Assistant Deputy Secretary; Joshua DuBois, Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; and, Paul Monteiro, Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. The discussion centered around the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which you can learn more about on the Department’s website. Read More

Preventing Bullying & Harassment, Back to School and Park51 NYC Mosque; 8/30/10

Over 55 million young people will be going back to K-12 schools this fall. While school is generally a place of learning and friendship, one of three students will experience bullying. That is over 18 million students. Many of them will include Muslim, Sikh, Arab and other children from minority religious and ethnic communities. Students who are bullied have both their grades and health suffer. Read More

Muslim Serve”/ING Improves Perceptions of Islam and Muslims

Join “Muslim Serve” Nationwide Effort on 9/11 In light of the disturbing political and social environment in the country, a national grassroots coalition of American Muslims asks you to do something special this Eid (Muslim holiday following Ramadan) – invite your family and friends and community to be a part of a nationwide effort to spend the anniversary of 9/11 in service to your neighbors and your city. Read More

A Call to Action: Join ‘Muslim Serve’ National Campaign for Service & Understanding on 9/11

This year, our Eid ul-Fitr celebrations will take place during the weekend of September 11th, a date that carries with it painful memories and deep sadness for all of us. While a small but increasingly vocal group of bigots will be staging public demonstration of their hate at Ground Zero and burning Qurans in front of a tiny church in Florida, we should take this opportunity to demonstrate who we are as American Muslims and organize activities that reflect the core values we cherish from our faith including mercy, compassion, service, and mutual understanding. Read More

ING Interfaith Statement for One America

A Call to Action for Deeper Understanding & Mutual Respect As community and religious leaders representing people of many faiths in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are deeply troubled by the current wave of bigotry and hate directed at Islam and Muslims in the United States. We recognize that there is a wide range of strongly held views about the location selected for the Islamic Center in New York near Ground Zero and that disagreement with the decision is not tantamount to attacking a religious group. At the same time, there is a growing pattern of anti-mosque protests and other actions directed at American Muslims in many parts of the country that aim to demonize Islam in the name of protecting America from Muslim radicals and extremists. Read More

Shana Tova and Eid Mubarak! 9/8/10

ING Interfaith Statement for One America A Call to Action for Deeper Understanding & Mutual Respect As community and religious leaders representing people of many faiths in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are deeply troubled by the current wave of bigotry and hate directed at Islam and Muslims in the United States. Read More

Classroom Curriculum: America, Muslims, and the NYC Islamic Center; 9/24/10

In light of the political environment surrounding the NYC Islamic center (Park51), and escalating Islamophobic events all across the nation, ING has received requests for teaching tools and curriculum. We recommend the following programs: Read More
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