Table of Contents:

• Ramadan Iftar Dinner
• Know Your Neighbor Event in DC
• MAPS Interfaith Iftar
• Training Law Enforcement Officers
• White House Roundtable
• Dean Obeidallah Show Goes Daily
• Upcoming Events

Peninsula Ramadan Interfaith Iftar Dinner

ING CEO Maha Elgenaidi and Peninsula Temple Beth Sholom Rabbi Lisa Delson (pictured at left) spoke at the Peninsula Ramadan Interfaith Iftar Dinner on Sunday, June 26. The interfaith iftar, organized by Pacifica Institute in cooperation with ING and Peninsula Temple Beth Sholom, focused on the theme of creating a peaceful community, and standing up for each other against bigotry, by building relationships. The speakers also addressed the relationships and similarities connecting Judaism and Islam.

ING Joins DC Conversation on Faith and Community

A June 23 event on Capitol Hill, “Know Your Neighbor: A Conversation on Faith & Community,” marked the launch of Multifaith Encounters, the grassroots coalition ING is spearheading with our allies as part of the Know Your Neighbor (KYN) coalition. KYN was launched at the White House last December to focus on fostering a nationwide dialogue on the country’s religious diversity and developing a general awareness of major faith traditions. This coalition believes that such a dialogue is desperately needed to reduce religious tensions and maximize the strength of our American heritage.

ING was represented at the event by ING Trustee Zehra Wamiq (pictured upper left), parent and executive director of the ING affiliate Delaware Valley Speakers Bureau. Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) was one of the hosts (pictured lower right). Speakers included Melissa Rogers, White House — Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (pictured lower left); Vanita Gupta, Department of Justice – Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division (pictured upper right); and Paul Monterio, Department of Justice – Acting Director for Community Relations Service.

Building Peaceful Communities in Seattle

The Muslim Association of the Puget Sound (MAPS) hosted its 10th annual Ramadan Interfaith Iftar on June 15. ING’s Maha Elgenaidi delivered the keynote address to a sold-out crowd. Her presentation was titled “Building Peaceful Communities Through Education and Engagement” in which she addressed Islamophobia, Islamic values and five ways people could counter hate and bigotry.

Staff Helps Create Hate Crimes
Training Videos for Law Enforcement

Maha Elgenaidi and Content Director Ameena Jandali participated in meetings with California State Commission on Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) in Sacramento in early June to help create new hate crimes training videos and materials used by thousands of police officers across the state. Maha is a long-time POST advisor and has contributed to previous training videos. ING is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the training as well as the cultural competency trainings it has delivered to most Bay Area police departments.

ING Participates in White House Roundtable on Bullying

On June 6th, ING, along with other American Muslim leaders, parents and educators, participated in the White House Roundtable Conference on discrimination, bullying and harassment of Muslim, Arab and South Asian (MASSA) students to create safe and supportive learning environments for these students. They were joined by Secretary of Education John King, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Munoz.

During breakout sessions, ING representative and Trustee Zehra Wamiq teamed with a group of educators and National PTA representatives. Some of the recommendation that surfaced were to spend resources on educator professional development, to connect educators with existing resources, and to develop clear guidelines regarding discrimination of Muslim students.

Dean Obeidallah’s Show Expands to Five Days a Week

ING friend Dean Obeidallah has expanded his live radio show on SiriusXM Channel 121 to Monday to Friday from Noon to 1 p.m. EDT. The comedian will tackle everything from politics to pop culture and feature voices from communities underrepresented in the mainstream media, from Muslims to Sikhs to Native Americans to Arabs to LGBT to South Asians.