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PRESERVING THE FIRST AMENDMENT (San Jose, 6/6/07) ING Concludes Academic Year 2006-2007 with Record Number of Interfaith Events The public impact of religion has increased worldwide according to recent data and trends. Here in the U.S. according to a Harris Poll in January 2003, 90% of Americans believe in God, 84% believe in the survival of the soul after death, and 82% believe in heaven. At the same time, religious grievances have been significant factors in civil wars, national conflicts and international acts of terrorism. For this reason, it has never been more important to reinforce and promote American ideals of tolerance and freedom of religion that is enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It is to this end that ING today is more engaged than ever before in interfaith dialogues and education, seeking to promote understanding through civil discourse. Initiating an interfaith component of our educational outreach, last year ING hired an nterfaith Coordinator, Yasmine Khan, who has over the past academic year engaged Bay Area Muslim Americans in record numbers of interfaith events. These have included events organized by ING as well as outreach at houses of worship, faith based schools, and institutions of higher learning in the form of education, dialogues, and participating in interfaith panels. These events, which reached and brought together thousands of Americans of all faiths, included the following:
ING Initiated Interfaith Events Since last fall, ING initiated five events including ING’s Interfaith Ramadan Dinner, which was attended by hundreds of people of various faiths, who along with fellow Muslims shared in the breaking of the fast while hearing inspirational advice from an imam, priest and rabbi. One of the most exciting aspects of ING’s interfaith work has been the initiation of interfaith events that bring together, not only religious leaders from various faiths, but more importantly lay practitioners to learn and dialogue with each other on the same topic. Three of these events were part of the Peninsula Interfaith Dialogue series which was funded by the Community Peninsula Foundation. Topics of discussion focused on such provocative questions as, "Is there Value in Faith?", "Have Women’s Leadership Roles Changed in Religion?," and "Is there Room for Fundamentalism in Religion?" All three events featured speakers from the Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Jewish communities and were well attended by audiences representing all the faith traditions. Feedback from participants reflects the enthusiasm and appreciation they felt after attending one or often all three of the Peninsula events. Comments include the following from diverse audience members: - "It has been interesting to meet Muslims who are tolerant and respectful toward other spiritual travelers. Yes, I will be telling about the meaningful experience of meeting with 5 faiths instead of 1 or 2. The hospitality was also impressive!" - "My experience in the dialogue will definitely affect the way I grow spiritually, toward a unique faith." - "I have learned more about other religions, but more importantly, learned something about people of diverse faiths." - "Dialogue was very thought-provoking and positive." - "Small group, very diverse, very interesting – quite vibrant discussion. Pleasantly surprised how valuable these were." - "Please continue these gatherings every other month. The organizers did a fabulous job! Bravo!" For more comments by participants of Peninsula events, see: http://ing.org/about/page.asp?num=26 ING also organized a South Bay interfaith statement of concern in response to controversial speaker, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who was scheduled to give a talk at Santa Clara University in April. In an unprecedented show of support, twenty interfaith groups endorsed the statement which decried attempts to divide or demonize communities. To view the statement, go to: http://ing.org/latestnews/default.asp?num=78 ING Presented in Interfaith Panels and Events ING speakers and staff also took part in over a dozen interfaith events over the past academic year, including a number of interfaith peace events, such as an International Day of Peace Service, an interfaith gathering with the theme, “Breaking Bread Together,” and the Carry the Vision Community Nonviolence Conference and Youth Leadership Summit. ING’s president Maha Elgenaidi, and ING’s Interfaith Coordinator, Yasmine Khan, also participated in the Rose Rock Institute’s World Forum 2007, as well as general interfaith events, such as a dinner where the topic for the evening was “Respect for the Sacred,” a conference centered around “Women in Religion in the Bay Area,” and the Santa Clara County Office of Human Relations’ “Holocaust Remembrance Day” event. Organizers and participants of these events have repeatedly expressed the value and importance of having representation and participation of Muslim Americans, and are particularly pleased with the fresh perspective ING brings to the table. It is the sharing and exchange of both similar and diverse ideas and views that help each one learn and grow, and some of the greatest advantages of living in a pluralistic society that values diversity. ING Participated in Interfaith Dialogues Since September 2006, ING has also participated in over 50 interfaith dialogues, including a dialogue between religious leaders sponsored by the Silicon Valley Conference for Community & Justice (SVCCJ) and Interfaith Space, a clergy and civic leaders dialogue by the Peninsula Clergy Network, the San Francisco FAITHS leadership group meetings at the San Francisco Foundation, meetings with our partners at the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC-East Bay, Friends in Faith dialogues, the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN), and the South Bay Interfaith steering committee. Again, the inclusion, particularly of Muslim women who are able to articulate a vision of interfaith work and relations has been welcomed and embraced at all levels. ING Provided Educational Presentations and Engaged in Dialogues at Houses of Worship & Faith Based Schools or Institutions of Higher Learning Representatives from ING also participated in over 60 educational presentations and dialogues over the last year at a variety of faith based venues, including houses of worship and faith-based middle and high schools. They also addressed institutions of higher education, including faith-based colleges and universities such as the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology, Notre Dame de Namur University, Santa Clara University, and the Graduate Theological Union on a variety of topics, including "Anthropology and Evolution in Islam.” With the daily news of bombings and violence as the main context of discussions about Muslims in the news, providing an authentic voice of Islam that is greatly missing from most discourses was invaluable for all participants. As one of the students in a high school class room remarked at the conclusion of a presentation, "It is critical for people to hear the alternative voices of Muslims instead of only the radicals we hear about every day on the news." ING Appreciates the Contributions and Involvement of all Participants As we finish the academic year, ING would like to thank each and every one of the participants and host organizations for allowing it to share and participate in their events and their lives. Over the past nine months, ING has viewed each of these interfaith gatherings as an opportunity to remind ourselves and others of our shared humanity, as well to build bridges based on mutual respect, cooperation, and civic responsibility. We are especially grateful to our numerous Bay Area interfaith partners, which include: * Peninsula Community Foundation * San Francisco Community Foundation * Interfaith Space * Silicon Valley Conference for Community and Justice * South Bay Interfaith * Friends in Faith * Peninsula Clergy Network * Carry the Vision Conference * Interfaith Council in the Presidio * Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRC) – East Bay, San Francisco, & Peninsula * San Francisco Faiths Initiative * Peninsula Interfaith Spring Series Partners (Peninsula Temple Beth El, New Vision United Methodist Church, and Yaseen Foundation) Community Releases Archive . . .  Shana Tova and Eid Mubarak! ING Interfaith Statement for One America A Call to Action: Join ‘Muslim Serve’ National Campaign for Service & Understanding on 9/11 “Muslim Serve”/ING Improves Perceptions of Islam and Muslims Preventing Bullying & Harassment, Back to School and Park51 NYC Mosque ING President participates in meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan Responding to 'Draw Muhammad Day' ING Participates in Federal Government Meetings ING Condemns NYC Plot and Supports Efforts against Extremism A Conversation about Education Reform with the U.S. Department of Education Can you have religious freedom without limiting free speech? ING Statements on Religious Expression in American Public Life/Church Attacks in Malaysia ING Statement on Church Attacks in Malaysia Thank you for your continuing support! Wishes for a Happy Holiday Season and New Year ING Statement on Religious Extremism Guide to Preventing Hate Crimes and Reporting Harassment ING Condemns Deadly Attack at Ft. Hood Thank You for Making ING's Annual Supporters Dinner a Success ING Breaks Fast with Secretary Clinton ING Accredited by the Better Business Bureau ING Participates in ISNA July 4th Weekend in D.C. ING Reaches Over 20,000 People in 2008-2009 Academic Year ING Welcomes President Obama's Speech in Cairo ING Statement on Alleged Terrorist Plot in NYC ING Hosting Faiths Act Fellows Become an ING Intern or Join ING Team of Volunteers American Muslims Call for Swift Action Against Domestic Violence Silcon Valley Interfaith Leaders Endorse Declaration for Peace on M.E. Crisis Celebrating a Historic Inauguration and Martin Luther King's Legacy Humanitarian Aid in Gaza Blessed Eid, and Interfaith Forums American Muslims Condemn Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai Thank you to our friends and supporters! Action-Alert: Anti-Muslim Film Obsession Mailed to California Residents Back to School at ING & Ramadan Kit ING's Cultural Competency Programming for Law Enforcement Muslim Women Clerics Play Indispensable Role ING "Interfaith Speakers Bureau" Panels Muslim Scholars Back Call for Interfaith Dialogue In Qatar, Muslim, Jewish Clerics Meet New ING Blog ING Recognition Awards for Educators Responding to and Preventing Hate in Public Schools The Bible in Islam: Stories of Shared Prophets Global Warming: Muslim American Responsibility & Response Muslim Professionals & the Not-For-Profit Sector Feminism in Islam Intergroup Muslim and Jewish Conflict Transformation Program Roots of Islam in America through Enslaved West Africans Afghan American Muslim Outreach Saturday, Feb 16th Speakers Bureau Training ING's Outstanding Pen Award for Inter-Religious Understanding ING's Healthcare Cultural Competency Presentations Speakers Training & Women in Religion Dialogue Professional Teacher Staff Development Interfaith Speakers Bureau Training Tonight - 1/23/07 Upcoming Speakers Training Workshops Highlights of Fall Semester Educating for Religious Literacy & Mutual Respect Islam & HIV/AIDS ING Statement on the British Teacher in Sudan Islamophobia and its Affects Coexistence through Art Power of One: How One Person Can Affect Change Thank You to All Our Supporters! Answering Frequently Asked Questions About Islam Feminism & Women in Islam Islamic Contributions to Civilization Responding to "Islamo-Fascism Week" on College Campuses Call for Unity from Muslim Religious Leaders "Outstanding Philanthropist" Awards Keep the Diversity, Seek the Harmony ING Speaks at Antioch Mosque Vandalism March Interfaith Prayer for Darfur & World Leaders Marching Together Against Hate and Violence in East Contra Costa County ING Joins Albany's Peace Day ING Guidelines for Hosting an Interfaith Holiday Event Illumemedia.org Interview with ING's Founder & President ING Presents to Homeland Security ING's Participation in ISNA Convention 2007 10% Increase in Presentations from Previous Year Statement from the Association of Muslim Health Professionals on Events Unfolding in the UK New Hires at ING Cultural Competency Serving Arab and Muslim American Families Healthcare for Muslim Patients A Call for Moral Leadership: Imagining a New Heroism Advocating Against Violence and For One Nation "Muslim Americans: Mostly Middle Class and Mainstream" Islamic Contributions to Civilization Religion in the Workplace Could Genocide Happen Here? & FBI Meeting Happy Earth Day! An Interfaith Response to a Controversial Speaker Happy Holidays from ING New Speakers Bureau in Columbus, Ohio Interfaith Dialogue Among Laity The Mosque as an American Institution ING Presentations at Bay Area Universities ING and High School Presentations in Spring 2007 Inter-Religious Dialogue in the Bay Area Conflict in the Muslim World ING Adopts an Environmental Policy ING Initiates and Participates in Interfaith Dialogues ING Reaches 25,000 Americans of Other Faiths in Bay Area ING Perspective on Holocaust Conference in Iran Thank You to All Our Supporters! ING's Muslim Mental Health Training Muslim Group Deflates Stereotypes ING Trains Police Officers in Milpitas Share in ING’s Promotion of Interfaith Dialogue and Education ING Founder Invited to U.S. State Department For Annual Iftaar ING Participates in Meaning of Ramadan Open Houses ING Featured in 9/11 Specials on PBS and KGO ING Perspective on Pope's Remarks ING Gears Up for a New School Year After ISNA Convention Organization Aims to Educate Others About Religion End of Year Totals for ING, 7/25/06 ING Responds to Arrests in Miami Spike in Requests for Presentations About Islam & Muslims from High Schools ING Summer Interns Muslim-Jewish Relations in the Bay Area ING Presentations on College Campuses ING Joins "Day of Conscience for Darfur" ING President Meets with Dalai Lama Apostasy in Islam ING Training for UCSF Nursing Department Muslim Scholars' Statement on Danish Cartoons Controversy Opinion on Danish Cartoons Published in San Jose Mercury News ING Training for Healthcare & Hospitals ING Statement Regarding Danish Cartoons Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King's Day Eid Mubarak & ING Updates in the Bay Area ING President Message to ISNA 2005 Conventioneers ING President Message to ISNA 2005 Conventioneers Role of Nationals in Terrorist Bombings National US Muslim Organizations Condemn Terrorism ING Condemns Terror Attacks in London Celebrating the Fourth of July Mukhtaran Mai's Case Opinion on Danish Cartoons Published in San Jose Mercury News - Frequently Asked Questions on Terrorism ING's Annual Community Support Dinner ING's Response to the War in Iraq ING Parent-Child Workshops: Yaseen Foundation ING Press Conference: Impact of War in Our Schools ING Parent-Child Workshops: SBIA, San Jose ING Commemorates "Day of Remembrance" ING Affiliates Conference |
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