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June 1, 2023
Counter Bigotry and Bullying at Your School
Speaking to over 2000 students, ING recently delivered a series of seven assemblies to high school students in Sunnyvale, California on countering bigotry and bullying with Muslim, Jewish, and LGBTQ+ adult and student speakers who discussed “Islamophobia and Its Impact,” “Understanding Antisemitism,” and “Countering Homophobia and Transphobia.” The student speakers—who selected the student populations who are most impacted by bullying to be represented—discussed their ongoing experiences being bullied and concluded with calls to action to counter bullying against all students.
As ING’s Founding Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi stated during the assemblies, “We aren’t asked to accept Muslim, Jewish, or LGBTQ+ perspectives as our own, but we do need to stand up against violence, hate speech, and bullying that impact these and other communities.”
Some of the feedback we received included:
“Thank you for the presentation. I learned something new today about an important issue. I’m so sorry to hear the stories that everyone is going through, but as a community we can and we will do better!” -Student
“I’m grateful someone stood up for me. I got an anti-Muslim hate comment last year as a sophomore in my World Literature class. We were doing group work. And a member of our group had made a very hurtful comment. And I’m still appreciative to this day of a fellow classmate that stood up for me.” -Student
“I continue to be very grateful for all of your efforts to make the assemblies happen. I am still amazed with how they all came together and that we had the opportunity to reach almost every student on campus over the two days.” -School Principal
You can learn more about our “Countering Bullying with Knowledge, Civility, and Respect” panel here
Educator Training
ING offers diversity training seminars for teachers that schools and districts can schedule during their in-service days over the summer and throughout the year. This training helps teachers and other staff members understand and better address some of the challenges that Muslim and other marginalized students often face in public schools, including teacher bias and bigotry, higher bullying rates, and other issues relating to their religious or racial and ethnic identity. For more information and to schedule a seminar for teachers and school staff and administrators on “Countering Islamophobia in Education,” “Accommodating Religious Diversity,” or “Supporting an Inclusive School Environment,” please visit our diversity training for educators webpage here.
Educators, Plan Ahead
Intercultural Panels with Indigenous, African, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Jewish and Muslim American speakers that supplement the study of American history, racism, colonialism and American pluralism. Topics include: “Countering Bullying with Knowledge, Civility, and Respect” and “Countering Bigotry and Racism through Calls to Action.” Available in 1-to-2-hour formats. Schedule here.
Interreligious Panels with Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh American speakers that supplement the study of world religions and contemporary issues. Topics include: “Living the Faith,” “Shared Values,” “Religious Holidays,” “Women,” “Peacemaking,” and many more. Available in 1-to-2-hour formats. Schedule here.
Muslim American speakers on topics that supplement the study of Islam in world history, the Middle East, and contemporary issues. Topics include: “Getting to Know Muslim Americans and Their Faith,” “A History of Muslims in America,” “Muslim Contributions to Civilization,” “Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes,” “Islamophobia and Its Impact,” and “Ramadan and Fasting.” Available in 45-90-minute formats. Schedule here.
Parents, Help Your Children Prepare for
Back to School in the Fall
At ING we have long focused on education and engagement as means of preventing bias and bullying. To empower and equip Muslim teenage students to overcome Islamophobia, INGYouth is a platform that caters to their needs: www.ingyouth.org.
Be An Upstander for Yourself and Others:
-Know your rights as well as your responsibilities at school. Watch the training video titled “Students Rights and Responsibilities” to review basic rights that all students should have in order to experience a safe and inclusive learning environment.
-Respond to bullying when it happens to you or to others. Watch the training video titled “Responding to Bullying” to learn how to identify bullying as well as different strategies to respond to bullying when you experience or witness it.
Prevent Bullying by Teaching Others About Muslims:
We also provide the following additional tools for Muslim teens:
–Presentations about Islam and Muslims on different topics including women, contributions and history, which you can project to a screen from your smart phone.
–Answers for teens on Frequently Asked Questions about Islam and Muslims.
–Videos for teens to help you in your presentation skills: “Framework for Educating about Muslims and Islam” and “Presentation Skills.”
If you are a teacher or parent, feel free to share this website with students in grades 5-12, even if they are not Muslim. They can also learn from our resources for Muslim students how to prevent and respond to bullying. We welcome your feedback at mail@ing.org.
Additionally, check out government resources on bullying prevention on campus at stopbullying.gov.