Spring-Summer 2008 Issue

Spotlight on Randy Pond: ING Board Member

As a member of the ING Board of Trustees since 2006, Randy Pond is an invaluable asset to the organization with his many years on the executive management team at Cisco.

Randy Pond was initially attracted to ING by its mission, which he felt was critical in the world today with so much misinformation and misunderstanding about Islam and Muslims. He was inspired to learn more about the organization after meeting with ING president, Maha ElGenaidi, and believes that more people need to be involved in this important work especially at a time when, as he describes it, “ignorance reigns supreme.” Randy feels that the best way to counter this ignorance is by building bridges through education, which is at the heart of the vision and strategy of ING.

Inspired and impressed by the excellence of the scholarly developed content offered by ING, Randy often sends these materials to his family and friends so they might gain a better understanding of a much misunderstood faith. His affiliation with ING has led him to personally reach out to Muslim employees at his workplace. Last year, not only did Randy attend a Muslim holiday dinner (Eid ul Fitr) that was sponsored at Cisco for the first time, but he also worked to create non-interest based 401K benefits which has increased the participation level by Muslim employees at Cisco.

Randy enjoys being on the ING board and particularly appreciates its diversity with a mixture of Muslims and members of other faiths. He has come to view Islam as a religion that embraces diversity and has been particularly gratified to learn that Islam promotes rights for women and encourages strong women roles, in contrast with the common perception that Muslim women are oppressed. Randy is very excited about the newly-launched Interfaith Speakers Bureau, which he believes will further help educate Americans about Islam and other religions, and the idea that our similarities are greater than our differences.

Randy is concerned about events in the Middle East, where he feels that people often confuse religion with economic and social underdevelopment, just as he is troubled by the racial profiling of Muslims here in the U.S. He believes that the paradigm of “Us vs. Them” cannot continue and that it is critical for people to break down barriers and to understand that we are more alike than different. Since many Americans gain their information from the media which portrays Muslims as a monolithic group, Randy feels there is a great deal of misunderstanding towards Muslims and believes it is critical for more people to dispel the misperceptions about Islam. Otherwise, there might be consequences that are detrimental to all.

It is people like Randy Pond who take time out of their busy schedule to contribute to making this world a better place. If you or one of your colleagues or family members would like to help ING, donate today or consider becoming a Board Trustee or Advisor by contacting Maha ElGenaidi, ING CEO and Founder, at elgenaidi@ing.org.

ING Goals and Funding Needs for 2007-2008

This year, ING is seeking to raise $1.2 million to meet our education outreach goals of reaching hundreds of thousands of adults and students throughout the U.S. Due to your generosity, $570K was raised at the ING Annual Supporters Dinner in November 2007. ING was also awarded two major grants from One Nation and the Shinnyo-en Foundation. The amount remaining to meet this year’s goals is $630K, of which we hope to receive $350K from grants and fundraising events. This leaves a remaining $280K, which we appeal to you, our supporters, to help us raise.

For 15 years, ING has worked to promote its vision of a world where people of all faiths are understood and respected through our scholarly developed educational programs. In addition to the successful Islamic Speakers program, ING now offers the Interfaith Speakers Bureau with presenters from multi-faith backgrounds to speak on interfaith panels to increase religious literacy and harmony.


Help ING reach its goals by donating generously. Contact Yasmin Mirza at yasmin@ing.org or 408.296.7312 to learn about the different ways you can support ING.

ING Increases Outreach in 2008

In the first three months of 2008, ING reached over 5,000 adults and students with 159 presentations to public and private schools, universities, community services, and faith-based groups. Some of the most influential events included a professional development day at the San Mateo Unified High School district with social studies teachers, training workshops for the San Francisco Police Department, and health care presentations at Stanford University and San Jose State University. ING also worked with the California Peace Officers Standards & Training (POST) organization to help develop law enforcement training materials that will be used statewide.

In addition to these key contributions, ING continues to be an important resource for public institutions in the Bay Area. Approximately 40% of ING presentations are delivered in schools, colleges and universities, and 60% support other types of organizations such as law enforcement agencies, health care facilities, and faith-based and community groups such as the YMCA. Find out more about the public and private organizations that ING serves, and the programs and presentations that are available.

Greetings from the Board

by Amer Haider, ING Board Member

As a member of the ING Board of Trustees, I would like to share why I greatly value the work of ING and why I am involved with this organization. We are living in times when many of the freedoms that we enjoy as Americans are seriously threatened. Principles of freedom and justice, promised in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and key to the pursuit of happiness, are under assault. Religious pluralism, a significant principle upon which this great country was founded, is rapidly disappearing from the Muslim experience.

As a Muslim American faced with the potential limitation of my freedoms, I am compelled to be involved in the efforts of ING to raise the awareness of Islam as well as other faiths and to eradicate fear mongering. This fear mongering can be countered through education, and ING is key to providing that education, which ultimately is the best guarantor of our freedoms. Help ING reach its educational outreach goals by donating generously this year.

Islamic Speakers Bureau Adds New Presenters

To meet the increasing number of speaker requests and to prepare for the busy presentation season in the Fall, ING hosted a series of Islamic Speakers Bureau training workshops to recruit new speakers during January through March. All speaker volunteers complete a comprehensive training and certification process to ensure the standards of quality and consistency are met within the First Amendment Center guidelines for speaking about religion in the public arena.

Nearly 100 individuals participated in the workshops that were led by ING veteran speakers, and several new recruits have already passed the test and become certified. Consider contributing to support the recruitment and training of speakers.

Interfaith Speakers Bureau Panels Announced

In April, ING began to offer Interfaith Speakers panels and mailed a brochure to nearly 4000 educators, inviting them to sign up for one of several different panels available. The Interfaith Speakers Bureau represents the faiths of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism. Interested organizations can choose the Five Faith Panel which will start with a brief description by each speaker of their faith. Then, each panelist will address one of the following topics: Shared Values; Living the Faith; or Contemporary Issues. The last topic also includes a choice of one of these areas: modernity; the environment; pluralism; separation of church and state; and extremism and fundamentalism.

The Interfaith Speakers Bureau also offers the Muslim and Jewish panel “Jewish-Muslim Relations in the U.S.: In the Shadow of the Middle East Conflict” which will help to shift the paradigm of conversations away from the Middle East conflict towards common interests as Americans. This panel addresses topics such as anti-semitism, Islamophobia, maintaining the faith in an increasingly secular society, and security issues as minorities.

If you know someone at a K-12 school or higher education institution that may be interested in our new Interfaith panels, invite them to visit the ING website to sign up.

One Nation Awards ING $120K to Expand ING Certified Speakers Across the Country

ING was recently awarded a grant for $120K from One Nation, a philanthropic organization founded by George Russell, named after America’s vision of being “One nation...with liberty and justice for all.” One Nation seeks to “foster a national conversation about the common values we share as Americans, regardless of how we choose to express our spirituality,” and to bridge the gap that has developed in recent years by “integrating the voices and viewpoints of the American Muslim community into the national conversation.” Led by Muslims and non-Muslims from leading educational and advocacy organizations, One Nation supports projects that challenge stereotypes and misperceptions of Muslims and Islam.

The support by One Nation began in March 2008 with discussions to expand ING speaker training on a national scale. The common goal is to leverage existing and interested potential speakers across the country who are currently involved, or desire to be involved, in delivering presentations about Islam and Muslims, but lack the proper tools, training or credentials to do so. The best intentioned speaker who is ill-equipped may actually reinforce stereotypes rather than overcome them. ING’s 15 years of experience from its successful Islamic Speakers Bureau guarantees the expertise to professionally train potential speakers.

Upon completion of training, the newly certified speakers will be added to a national database and will receive continued support from ING. They will also be given all existing and new content developed by ING, which in itself is of tremendous value.

The joint goal of One Nation and ING is to certify qualified speakers across the nation who can not only deliver quality educational programming about Islam and Muslims to a variety of venues across the country, but fulfill the important responsibility of accurately representing the Muslim community to the greater public. This effort will empower Muslim Americans to speak for themselves, rather than passively allow others to speak on their behalf. Learn more about One Nation.

ING Presents PEN Award to Karen Armstrong

In a visit to the Bay Area in February, best-selling writer Karen Armstrong spoke to two sold out crowds and was greeted with standing ovations at both events. On behalf of ING, President Maha ElGenaidi presented Ms. Armstrong with an “Outstanding PEN Award for Inter-religious Understanding” for her writings on Islam and other world religions before her speech on “Understanding Islam and the West” at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

It was an honor for ING to have had the opportunity to recognize Ms. Armstrong’s contributions as her work and the work of ING are closely intertwined. She shares a common goal of opening minds and bringing enlightenment to people of all faiths, while striving towards peace making through education. Similar to the history of ING, Ms. Armstrong’s writing career has promoted better understanding, and respect of all religions. The more that people of all faiths cooperate in this effort, the more that we become better human beings, which is the goal of all religions. Learn more about this important event and other community activities hosted by ING.

Meet ING Speaker Dr. Sarah Azad

Among ING’s diverse speakers are talented professionals such as Dr. Sarah Azad, an Ob/Gyn in residency. Sarah graduated with a B.A. from Santa Clara University and received her MD from Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

In 1975, Sarah’s late parents migrated from Afghanistan and both dedicated themselves to serving the community during their lives. Following in their footsteps, Sarah began volunteering as a youth and became an ING speaker in 1999. She started with speaking at schools; and after completing medical school, she focused on health care presentations.

Sarah has remained active with ING because of her dedication to the ING mission of promoting peace through education about Islam. She views the ability to educate others about Islam as one of the most important responsibilities of Muslims living in the U.S. Sarah believes that understanding Muslims are not so different is key, and those who practice Islam should be viewed as humans first and then as Muslims. Sarah sees that our humanity as the common bond that will pave the way to peace. If you are interested in volunteering as a speaker, contact Grace Fong, Director of Marketing and Programs, at grace@ing.org.

Seeing the Success in Atlanta

One of the most exciting results of ING’s educational outreach model is that it enables Muslim Americans across the country to initiate speakers bureaus in their local communities. In 1999, ING set up its first offsite Islamic Speakers Bureau (ISB) and today there are twelve affiliates in the U.S. that leverage not only the structure and strategies of the parent organization, but the methodology, content, and even the certification process.

The ING affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia is an outstanding example. Some of the major impact that has already been made this year include presentations on Islamophobia at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Women in Islam at Kennesaw State University, and Muslim Life and the Quran at Emory University.

Additionally, helping interfaith groups to better understand Islam is key to building bridges. Speakers have presented to the American Academy of Religion, the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, and the National Council of Jewish Women. The Atlanta team’s dedication and professionalism is truly inspiring. Learn more about the success of the ISB of Atlanta.

Announcing Summer Internships

A limited number of internships are available for qualified students this summer. For more information and to apply, visit the ING website or contact Saba Siddiqi, ING Human Resources Manager, at saba@ing.org.