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 Winter 2007-2008 Issue |
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In This Issue
 Support ING Announcing Multi-Level Incentive Donor Program ING is pleased to offer multiple levels of incentives with your annual donation in 2008. Special benefits begin with a minimum donation of $100 to qualify as a Friend supporter. Other ING donor levels are Fellow, Leader, Pillar and Visionary. A Visionary is the highest level of supporter and includes unique benefits such as multiple reserved tables at ING’s annual dinner, special invitations to exclusive events, privately hosted events with an ING scholar or speaker, early notification of special events, and more. Learn about the new multi-level incentive donor program by visiting www.ing.org/donate. We hope you will join us in our outreach efforts by becoming an ING supporter today, if you’re not already making a contribution. Contact Deana Rabiah at deana@ing.org for more information. Board of Trustees
Newsletter Contributors
Learn More
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 ING Celebrates 15th Year Anniversary at
Annual Supporters DinnerOn November 3, 2007, ING celebrated its 15th year anniversary at the annual supporters dinner, which was attended by over 500 people. The event opened with remarks from emcee and ING speaker Omar Ansari, ING founding member Ameena Jandali and board member Dr. Isha Abdullah. Interfaith leaders representing four religions delivered an invocation on the theme “Love Thy Neighbor”. ING was honored to award five philanthropist leaders, including George F. Russell Jr., Isha and Asim Abdullah, Diana and Hesham Alalusi, Cindy and Randy Pond, and Sara and Sohaib Abbasi for their outstanding contributions to the community. To culminate the evening, author Reza Aslan delivered an entertaining yet thoughtful speech on the theme “Margin to Mainstream: Working to Dispel Stereotypes,” and comedian Dean Obeidallah filled the room with laughter from his antics and anecdotes about living as a Muslim in the U.S. Many thanks to all those who contributed to this successful event. Fifteen years of challenging stereotypes and misperceptions through education could not have been possible without the generous support of community members, faith groups, and leaders in various institutions who see the importance of fairness, justice, and equality for all. Photo above shows “Outstanding Philanthropist” award recipients, Sohaib and Sara Abbasi (left); and award presenter, ING board member Kamal Ahmed. 
Greetings from the Board  by Dr. Isha Abdullah, ING Board MemberOn behalf of the ING Board of Trustees, thank you for supporting ING. ING is a pioneer in its mission to authentically represent the full spectrum of Muslims in America through our scholars, speakers and content. Equally important, ING also views itself as indigenous, which means belonging to America and seeing itself as part of this nation's rich landscape of religious pluralism. Besides teaching about Islam, we have a vested interest in looking at Islam in relationship to other religions and engaging in interfaith dialogue which we believe leads to religious literacy and thereby peace and harmony in our communities and the world. We welcome your feedback. Please write to Maha ElGenaidi, ING Executive Director, at elgenaidi@ing.org. Join the Islamic Speakers Bureau  ING is currently recruiting volunteers to join the Islamic
Speakers Bureau. Through this program, certified speakers
deliver onsite presentations about Islam and Muslims in the
context of social sciences and cultural diversity programs at
schools, universities, corporations, health care and law
enforcement agencies, as well as other institutions.
Speakers have the opportunity to serve their community by delivering presentations that promote religious understanding through an established, 15-year old organization. They receive presentation materials developed by scholars, learn to speak to public audiences and can improve their speaking skills in the process. To become certified, volunteers are asked to participate in one of the speaker training workshops, pass a written test, and deliver a live presentation that is evaluated onsite by a veteran speaker. To recruit speakers from throughout the Bay Area, workshops will be held in February in Santa Clara, Oakland, and San Francisco. Sign up to become a ING speaker today. Meet ING Speaker Amany Nasser  Before Amany Nasser began her 15-year tenure as an ING
speaker volunteer, she often spoke at her children’s schools
about her Arab and Muslim cultures. After the 9/11 event,
many misconceptions about Islam and Muslims surfaced. Yet,
Amany finds people are still eager to learn about that part of
the world.For Amany, stepping into a classroom or in front of a group of people to share that Muslims are no different than anyone else is a rewarding experience. Amany feels both she and ING are making a difference in promoting peace by educating people about Islam and Muslims. Such education and understanding are essential for a peaceful coexistence. Amany is married and has four children. She has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and is active as a board member of the Arab Cultural and Community Center. Learn more about other ING speakers. Over 10,000 reached  From September to December 2007, ING staff and speakers
experienced a very busy season with over 300 presentations
to public and private schools, colleges, universities, law
enforcement agencies, health-care facilities, and faith-based
organizations and other community groups.
Speaker volunteers from the San Francisco Bay Area visited more than 160 sites in over 30 cities and six states, educating and participating in interfaith panels for more than 10,000 students and adults. Two-thirds of the presentations were delivered at education institutions. Compared to a year ago, the largest increase came from speaker requests by faith-based communities as a result of ING’s expanding interfaith work. Find out more about the public and private organizations that ING serves, and the programs and presentations that are available. Introducing the New Interfaith Speakers Bureau  The Interfaith Speakers Bureau was introduced in February as
an expansion of ING’s outreach efforts to increase religious
literacy and promote mutual respect in our diverse communities.
This program will help supplement world religions curriculum in
academic institutions, provide content for community and
interfaith dialogues, and address frequently asked questions
about religious practices and shared issues in the United States.Consisting of representatives from five major world religions, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism, speakers will participate on interactive educational panels that discuss contemporary or religious issues from the perspectives of each of their faiths. All interfaith speaker volunteers complete a 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. The interfaith panel discussions are apolitical and academic in nature, neutral and objective without proselytizing—the same standards which have made the Islamic Speakers Bureau successful. Learn more about the Interfaith Speakers Bureau program. An Interfaith Event: Coexistence Through Art  In November 2007, Silicon Valley Academy and the Yavneh
Jewish Day School families and educators came together
for an unprecedented night of Coexistence Through Art.
Presented by ING, the Jewish Community Relations
Council and the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community
Center, the project was inspired by the Exhibition
Coexistence at the Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem
which features artists from around the world to bring the
universal message of diversity and acceptance of the other
to the world community.Muslim and Jewish students created 80 pieces of original artwork, which together with images from the Israeli Museum, were displayed at the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center. The insightful student artwork underscored the idea that human difference is part of human nature, while stressing that pluralism is essential for the growth and development of humanity. A New Perspective: Joining ING  by Grace Fong, ING Senior Program ManagerDuring Ramadan, I ventured into the world of non-profit work and joined ING as Senior Program Manager. Why would I change from a lucrative position at one of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley after nearly 20 years of employment there? And why did I choose ING? My journey started with a visit to Egypt in February. My husband and I flew to Cairo and spent over two weeks traveling throughout Lower and Upper Egypt to see and mingle with Egyptians who were Muslims, Christians, Jews and of other faiths. Except for a short trip to Morocco when I was in college, this was our first visit to a predominantly Muslim country. The sounds of the calls to prayer throughout the day were first foreign and then calming by the end of the trip. We visited the oldest part of Cairo, where Egyptians prayed in mosques, synagogues and churches. We learned how to say “salaams”, “shokran” and “laa laa” to peddlers in the souks. After touring many mosques and even climbing up a minaret for a spectacular view, we learned that Muslims are kind, disciplined, and honorable people who pray five times a day and abstain from alcohol and other practices common in the West. After this eye-opening trip, my persistent search for happiness and peace deepened. With a long career in the high-tech industry that was satisfying financially but not spiritually rewarding, it was time to actively pursue work that would fill my pressing need for spiritual and intellectual growth. This quest led to ING where I can now contribute to the efforts of promoting peace through education. I am truly astonished that our volunteers are willing to do so much for so little or nothing at all. But that is the lesson. ING volunteers and donors are being rewarded by the satisfaction of knowing that they are contributing to peace one person at a time. And more than ever today, we need as many people who can lead the way to world peace as possible. Learn more about Grace Fong, ING Senior Program Manager, and the dedicated team that lead and carry out ING’s educational outreach efforts. |
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 ING is a non-profit organization that promotes religious literacy and mutual respect through onsite educational presentations to academic institutions, public agencies and private corporations. Copyright © 2008 Islamic Networks Group (ING). All Rights Reserved |
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