Meet Our New Team at ING | Upcoming Events

New Team at ING

  • ING has two new team members! Rahimeh Ramezany is our new Program Manager. Rahimeh earned both her M.A. and B.A. in Communication Studies with a concentration in Intercultural Communication from San Jose State University and participated in an intensive study abroad program in Amman, Jordan. She is working with our newly formed Intercultural Speakers Bureau and our cultural diversity training program for law enforcement under the two-year POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) grant ING was awarded last year. Rachael Jawish is our new Programs Assistant. Rachael earned her B.A. from Wesleyan College, majoring in International Relations and minoring in History. She has worked at the Carter Center on development issues in the Middle East and at refugee camps in Greece, and she has served as an educator and Women’s Interfaith Alliance coordinator at her local mosque. Rachael serves as liaison between requesters and ING, scheduling presentations and other events.
  • Ishaq Pathan was promoted in June of last year to the position of Bay Area Director. With ING for more than three years, he is working closely with local board members, including Sameer Makada, Raania Mohsen, David Renie, Lyla Rayyan, and Eahab Ibrahim.
  • Maha has shifted more of her attention to national work that supports ING Bay Area and Affiliates and the Know Your Neighbor program, working with Ameena and Henry and several scholarly and professional consultants. Last year, for example, we worked with Dr. Walead Mossad in updating and adding to our answers to frequently asked questions, the most visited pages on our site that brought in 1.5 million unique users last year.
  • We’re also adding to our team. We have an immediate need for an additional Program and Communications Manager for the Bay Area. Other hiring will be announced in the near future.

Thank You for Your Contributions in 2019

Thank you for your support of peace-building work at ING. We are grateful to the individual donors and Bay Area foundations that include the San Francisco Foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, all of whom helped to support our creation of the new Intercultural Speakers Bureau and the continuation of our Islamic and Interfaith Speakers Bureaus, our cultural diversity training for educators and other professionals, and our bullying prevention program with Muslim American youth.

Past Events

ING hit the ground running this year, delivering twelve presentations and interfaith panels reaching 9000 attendees. Here are some of the other most noteworthy events this month:


Jan. 5: We Stood with University AME Church in Palo Alto: After this predominantly Black church was attacked with racist graffiti, over 500 people, including ING staff, attended a gathering to express their solidarity. ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi was among the speakers.


Jan. 9: Two Americas: The Aspirational and the Real: ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi joined a scholarly panel discussion titled “America’s History of Slavery and Remedies for Equity and Healing” at the International Museum of Muslim Cultures in Jackson, MS. Maha spoke about the roots of Islamophobia in anti-Blackness.


Jan. 13: Creating Inclusive and Equitable Communities—A Call to Action: This panel at synagogue Sha’ar Zahav in San Francisco addressed the history and impact of racist thinking under colonialism and slavery, old and neo-orientalism, xenophobia, and internalized bigotry, concluding with calls to action against racism and bigotry.


Jan.14: San Francisco Foundation Retreat: ING Bay Area Director Ishaq Pathan took part in a convening of leaders and activists in Contra Costa County about how the Foundation could best address the needs of communities.


Jan. 16: FAITHS Retreat: ING Bay Area Director Ishaq Pathan joined a meeting in Oakland of interfaith leaders from around the Bay Area to discuss their 2020 plans addressing housing, inequality, and the upcoming census.


Jan 17: San Diego County Office of Education Equity Conference: ING Bay Area Director Ishaq Pathan presented a breakout session attended by district officials, administrators, and teachers across California on Islamophobia as it impacts Muslim students and on remedies and resources to address this issue.


Jan. 20: San Jose Women’s March: ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi spoke alongside Diane Fisher from the Jewish Community Relations Council of Silicon Valley, Pushpinder Kaur from the Sikh community and Larin Smith from the University AME Church at the fourth annual Women’s March, which drew 8,000 participants. This interreligious group of women delivered a united message of solidarity for peace building in our community.


This first month of 2020, we conducted four training webinars for Affiliate speakers:

  • Jan. 11: Training for New Affiliate Speakers
  • Jan. 14: Frequently Asked Questions/Hot Button Issues for Adult-Level Audiences
  • Jan. 21: Muslim Contributions to Civilization, History of American Muslims, Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes
  • Jan. 28: Cultural Competency Training for Educators, Law Enforcement Agencies, Corporations, Healthcare Facilities

For a quick view of our significant events in the last quarter of 2019, visit our site as follows:

Upcoming Noteworthy Events

Please consider partnering with ING this year by donating any amount you feel comfortable giving monthly, quarterly, or annually. Thank you for your partnership.

Stay Connected

Sign up for the ING newsletter to receive news and announcements.

Name(Required)
Consent