Perception of Islam Tied to Muslim Americans’ Involvement in Their Communities; 7/8/11

ING Launches Bullying Prevention Program at MYNA and ISNA Conventions 2011

07/08/11 – ING conducted four workshops at this year’s ISNA Convention.  The Islamic Speakers Bureau (ISB) training was conducted to an enthusiastic crowd of more than 150 attendees, who have now completed their first step in becoming certified speakers. The Answering Difficult Questions about Islam and Muslims workshop was well received with 300 youths in attendance that were eager to take what they learned and implement it in their communities. Attendees at the Bullying Prevention: Workshop for Youth and the Bullying As An Epidemic: Workshop for Parents and Educators gained practical skills and tips in reversing bullying and finding solutions. ING looks forward to future MYNA and ISNA events that bring together diverse Muslim communities in education, understanding and respect for one another.

Perception of Islam Tied to Muslim Americans’ Involvement in Their Communities

In the first of a series of national conference calls, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and Islamic Networks Groups (ING) last week hosted an eye-opening conversation about “Public Perceptions of Muslim Americans: Opportunities and Challenges.” The 90-minute teleconference included analysis offered by a trio of leading thinkers and practitioners in the Muslim American community, including Reza Aslan, best-selling author of “No god but God,”  Maha Elgenaidi, President of ING, and  Salam Al-Marayati, President of MPAC.

Elgenaidi outlined a four-point successful Islamic literacy program. “Based on our experiences and impact studies, we at ING are strong advocates of strategic, Islamic literacy programs and campaigns that consist of the following four characteristics: They have to be personal, 1:1, and sincere, without an agenda other than getting to know our neighbors and developing friendships and relationships for the sake of bettering the community in which we live. . . Two, Islamic literacy programs should be done in the context of religious pluralism in America. I think the problem of misperceptions that Muslims are facing is a problem that is shared by other religious groups. . . Three, Islamic literacy programs should be entertaining to compete with media that is often a negative source of news about Muslims. Literacy programs should also address very specific needs that certain groups of Americans might have in knowing about Muslims such as physicians, police officers or human resource managers for example. . . And the fourth which I’ll close with is that I think the content for Islamic literacy programs should be strategic & focused in content by addressing the fears and concerns that Americans of other faiths have about Muslims, pointing out for example that American Muslims are as diverse as America itself . . .,” said Maha Elgenaidi. You can hear the Full Audio File of all the speakers on the National Conference Call (login: mpac, password: mpac123).