Georgia Leaders Attend Iftar Dinner

 
On Wednesday, September 24, the ISB partnered with the Pakistani American Community of Atlanta (PAK Atlanta), Al-Farooq Masjid, Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, and the Islamic Center of Marietta to host an outreach iftar.

In attendance were Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle's chief of staff, Bart Gobiel, and Mayor Shirley Franklin's chief of staff, Greg Pridgeon, as well as Georgia State Senator Curt Thompson, and Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall. Guests also included President of Agnes Scott College, Dr. Elizabeth Kiss; Assistant Vice Provost of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Dr. Carole Moore; officers from various police departments; representatives from the British consulate; and members of the American Jewish community.
 
The evening's program featured a tour of the newly completed Al-Farooq Masjid, dinner, speeches, and a short presentation about Islam and Ramadan by ISB executive director, Soumaya Khalifa. Also representing the Muslim community were Imam Plemon Al-Amin of Atlanta Masjid, Dr. S. Rashid Naim, Bassem Fakhoury, and ISB board member,  Zaheer Faruqi. Ehab Jaleel was the master of ceremonies.

The ISB is grateful to all who came together to make this evening a success!

 

At the invitation of the State Department, Soumaya Khalifa attended an iftar in the nation's capital on Monday, September 8. In her welcoming remarks, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice noted the importance of Islam as a world faith, saying, "More than one billion people find comfort and hope in Islam, and Ramadan inspires them to renew their faith through sacrifice and prayer, reflection and charity. People of all faiths can appreciate Ramadan's spirit, one of love for family, devotion to community, and gratitude toward God."

The guest list numbered approximately 300 and was a virtual who's who of American Muslim, interfaith, and international leaders in academia, community organizing, art, diplomacy, and media. Among those in attendance were Dr. Yvonne Haddad of Georgetown University; Dr. Syed Hossein Nasr of George Washington University; the Ambassador of Morocco, Aziz Mekouar; Mohamed Zakaria, designer of the Eid stamp; Native Deen, Muslim hip-hop artists;  leaders from the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC); Al Arabiya News Channel; Al-Ahram Weekly; and reporters from Afghani and Malaysian television.

This was the ISB's third invitation to the State Department.

Please look for a transcript of Secretary Rice's remarks and a video of the event in our Links section.

Feeding Hope, A Multifaith Celebration

On Tuesday September 9, ISB speaker, Jelena Naim, participated in the Atlanta Community Food Bank's fourth annual interfaith worship service for Hunger Action Month. Several diverse groups were part of the program. The event featured children's choirs; a rabbi, priest, and imam in a symbolic lighting of candles of hope; and storytellers from the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish faith traditions. Ms. Naim shared a story from the Prophet Muhammad's biography, or seera, describing how being a caring neighbor, despite differences and diverse viewpoints, can change hearts and outlooks. Several people remarked afterward that they were moved by the story.
The ISB was honored to be a part of this event.

 

ICCA Welcomes Fayetteville Residents

For two Sundays in a row, September 14 and 21, the ISB and the Islamic Community Center of Atlanta (ICCA) hosted interfaith iftars for the residents of Fayette county. The dinners were one of a number of outreach programs jointly sponsored by the Atlanta Muslim organizations.

Writing for a local newspaper, Sallie Satterthwaite praised the event as a genuine way to promote interfaith friendship at a grassroots level. Ms. Satterthwaite was a recipient of the ISB's Building Bridges Award in 2007.

Please see Ms. Satterthwaite's column under our Helpful Links.

Pictured in the photo are ISB speakers, Huma Faruqi and Amani Felfela Elghoroury, with a guest.

 

On Wednesday, September 17, Soumaya Khalifa joined a panel discussion at Georgia State University. Jointly sponsored by the Women's Studies Department and the Middle East Institute, the panel discussed Dr. Amira Jarmakani's recently published book, Imagining Arab Womanhood: The Cultural Mythology of Veils, Harems, and Belly Dancers in the U.S.
Participating as well were Dr. Angelika Bammer from Emory University and Dr. Laura Bier from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

ISB speaker, Mansour Ansari, presented Muslim Contributions to Civilization to an audience in Dalton, GA on Saturday, August 30. The program was sponsored by the Dalton Islamic Center and took place at the Northwest Georgia Trade & Convention Center. Approximately 50 people were in attendance.

Muslim Contributions to Civilization is one of several ISB presentations designed to promote increased awareness about special topics in Islam. Other special presentations include Women in Islam and Islam in America.

 

On Thursday, August 7, Soumaya Khalifa presented Getting to Know American Muslims and Islam, an introduction to Islam, to an audience of approximately 30 at the First Christian Church of Marietta. Although the presentation was intended for a women's group, male congregants, including a retired pastor, joined the curious audience.  The program began with a potluck dinner and ended with a request for the ISB to make a return visit.
The ISB is grateful to the women and men of the First Christian Church of Marietta.

 

Soumaya Khalifa presented to members of the FBI's Multicultural Advisory Committee on Tuesday, July 29.  The presentation consisted of a condensed version of Getting to Know American Muslims and Islam along with a special segment for law enforcement personnel.The content was well received and generated many questions from the audience.  The FBI requested the ISB to come back to speak during their annual day of learning when all Atlanta FBI agents will be present.