During Lent, a Christian tries praying 5 times a day
By Kate Chance, Community Engagement Manager. This opinion originally appeared at Religion News Service. While working in the Muslim community the past few years, I’ve grown to question why, as a Christian, I don’t pray more often. For my Muslim friends, their five daily prayers, or salat,… Read More
Holy Week, Passover, and Rajab: On our responsibilities toward the stranger
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This speech was delivered at a Maundy Thursday foot-washing ceremony in Morgan Hill on Thursday, March 29th, 2018. Salam alaykum/peace be unto you. We are standing here together during a sacred time in many faiths. For Muslims, we are in the month of Rajab, the… Read More
Escaping Essentialism: Educating Objectively About Islam in a Time of Islamophobia
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This paper was presented at the American Academy of Religion Western Region Conference at the Institute for Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California on Sunday, March 25th. What follows is an excerpt of the full paper; we will update this article once the full paper is… Read More
Recognizing the Unsung Sheroes of Women’s History Month
By Ameena Jandali, Content Director. This opinion originally appeared at Patheos. Women from time immemorial have been the foundation and sustainers of life and society, giving birth, raising the next generation, preparing the food that keeps us all alive and often risking everything for the welfare of… Read More
Why working for the Muslim community is the most Christlike aspect of my life
By Kate Chance, Interfaith Manager. This opinion originally appeared at the Christian Citizen. As a cradle Episcopalian, I was raised with a mentality that loving my neighbor and caring for others in my community should be the heart of my faith. Social justice has always been… Read More
American Muslim Teens Speak Out Against School Violence
This opinion appeared at the ING blog. These days, story after story emerges of violence occurring in schools. Whether it’s the result of guns or a few students throwing punches, our schools are not the safe places we would like them to be. Our INGYouth Speakers are a… Read More
Muslim women don’t need saving from their religion
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared at Religion News Service. In an average week, I deliver presentations to hundreds of people on various topics related to Islam and Muslims. Oftentimes, such presentations yield real changes in public perception of Muslims, but almost as often,… Read More
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Being A Good Neighbor
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This speech was delivered at the Shia Association of the Bay Area (SABA)’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Interfaith Event on January 14, 2018. Salam alaykum, Martin Luther King, Jr., said about neighbors: “The ultimate measure of a person is not where he or she… Read More
By Ishaq Pathan, INGYouth Manager. This opinion originally appeared in USA Today. This week I awoke to news that the president of the United States was retweeting anti-Muslim propaganda videos, the same kind of hateful content trafficked by well-known anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant bigots. The videos appear in three… Read More
Interfaith effort in Menlo Park seeks to unite what political rhetoric divides
By Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director. This opinion originally appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. Our country is living through a time of intense polarization and suspicion — especially in regard to Muslims. Efforts to restrict Muslims’ travel and immigration, and proposals to register Muslims and surveil mosques,… Read More