Dear Friends,
Greetings of peace on the occasion of Ramadan!
Atlanta Muslims commenced the annual Ramadan fast on August 22, 2009. The month-long fast is a time of rejoicing for Muslims who welcome the opportunity to abstain from food and drink, while increasing their charitable actions. Atlanta Muslims have a strong tradition of community service as evidenced by the nightly iftar (fast-breaking) gatherings at area mosques, the annual Day of Dignity, and the Fast-a-thon, which we feature below.
President Barack Obama recognized the contributions of American Muslims at the White House's Annual Iftar Dinner. Atlanta's own Imam Plemon El-Amin was in attendance. Please find links to the President's speech as well as his greeting message below.
For our September edition, we were honored to speak with film producer, Alex Kronemer, who will be coming to Atlanta next month for the premiere of his latest documentary, Inside Islam.
We hope you enjoy our new format! Feel free to send your feedback to dirisbatl@yahoo.com.
All the best,
Soumaya Khalifa
Executive Director
Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta
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| Ramadan Greetings |
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| Atlanta Interfaith Youth Tour America I Am |
The ISB's Emad Hamid accompanied Muslim youth representatives Omar Ibreak, Omar Hamid, and Aya Eldahshoury to the America I Am exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center. They were invited to view the exhibit, which chronicles the African-American experience, as part of an interfaith group of youth leaders. The event was led by Reverend Rob Hughes, Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters (AIB) board president and founder of the Generator Development Group, an organization that works to "identify innovative people, ideas, systems, and models...to support an equitable urban community infrastructure". |
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Fast-a-Thon: Get Hungry for a Change
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The ISB's Soumaya Khalifa spoke about the significance of Ramadan at a fast-a-thon dinner at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Sponsored by the Muslim Students Association (MSA), the fast-a-thon has become an annual campus tradition. Participants of diverse faith backgrounds pledge to fast for a day as a way to raise funds for charitable causes. For each person who signs up to fast, local businesses pledge their financial support. Georgia Tech's fast-a-thon attracted over 140 pledges this year. All funds raised will go to Grady Memorial Hospital.
Thanks to Maha Hosain for contributing to this report.
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Day of Dignity 2009
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The ISB was a sponsor of the Day of Dignity on Sunday, September 6. A diverse group of Atlanta Muslims assembled in the downtown area to provide health screenings, food, toiletries, towels, and linens to homeless men, women, and children. The Day of Dignity is part of a national campaign in conjunction with Islamic Relief USA. This year, the volunteer effort was held in 19 major cities. Atlanta's Day of Dignity was coordinated by Masjid al-Jami, which is an integral part of the Giving Back to Humanity program. For three years, this grassroots initiative has provided home-cooked meals on a weekly basis to impoverished men, women, and children in downtown Atlanta. Emad Hamid led a group which included ISB members and youth volunteers from area mosques. | |
 The Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta is a 501(c)3 non-profit, apolitical educational organization that provides certified Muslim speakers to promote awareness about Islam and Muslims. The ISB is a local affiliate of the Islamic Networks Group (ING). Donations to the ISB are tax deductible and may be mailed to ISB Atlanta, P.O. Box 2608, Peachtree City, GA 30269. Alternatively, supporters may send their contributions through our secure website. |
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INSIDE ISLAM ATLANTA PREMIERE
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A Documentary Film from Unity Productions Foundation
Executive Producers: Alexander Kronemer & Michael Wolfe
Producer & Director: Rob Gardner
Where: The Rialto Center for the Arts
80 Forsyth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303
When: Monday, October 12, 2009
Seating begins at 7:15 PM
Sponsors: Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta, Georgia State University's Department of Religion and Middle East Institute, and the British Consulate
Click here for flyer.
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Alex Kronemer: Visionary & Film Producer
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Alex Kronemer grew up in western Pennsylvania and studied theology and comparative religion at Harvard Divinity School. He works to increase the public's understanding about Muslims and the Islamic faith through lecturing, writing, and filmmaking. Zaynab Ansari spoke with him about his latest documentary film, Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. Alex is married to Luby Ismail. They have three children.
Zaynab: Please tell us what inspired you to become a film producer.
Alex: There's an old saying about the news, "if it bleeds, it leads." The stories about Muslims presented in the news tend to highlight the worst. This presents the potential for stereotyping and negative bias. I wanted to provide the larger Muslim story, the larger exposure to history and culture. For example, an outsider might turn on the news, hear about crime in Atlanta, and decide they wouldn't want to live there. However, people who live in Atlanta and know the city might be able to see the bigger picture. One of the reasons I've chosen to work with the ISB in bringing this film to Atlanta is because they share this vision--they want to provide information and share a bigger, more nuanced picture of Muslims.
Zaynab: Please tell us more about your organization, Unity Productions Foundation.
Alex: Unity Productions Foundation (UPF) began in the summer of 2000. Our first project was Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet. We began the project before 9-11; in fact, we were working on the edit when it happened. We realized at that moment that this work was more important than ever. It was broadcast in December 2002.
Zaynab: Another major project of UPF was Prince Among Slaves...
Alex: Correct. We chose Atlanta for one of the first premieres of Prince Among Slaves. The premiere was one of the best we had for that particular film. The documentary is still a very popular film; it aired on PBS in 2008.
Zaynab: Please give us the background for Inside Islam. It's based on the book by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam, correct?
Alex: Yes, but we were already interested in doing a film on the clash of civilizations idea. In the process of researching that idea, the early results of the poll were made public [the Gallup poll whose findings Esposito and Mogahed interpret in their book]. We felt the findings were powerful and counter-intuitive. So rather than doing an analysis of the idea of the clash of civilizations, we had this poll with information going directly to the heart of the issue: Is there a clash? Are Muslims so different? Are they part of a different civilization? The answers from the poll were so compelling that we focused the documentary on it.
Zaynab: Why did you choose Atlanta for the premiere?
Alex: Atlanta is one of the unheralded centers in America for interfaith understanding, particularly with regard to Muslims. In fact, some of the best interfaith work is happening in Atlanta, so it was the perfect place to premiere our film.
Zaynab: Any final thoughts?
Alex: People clash when they don't understand each other or purposely misrepresent one another. There's a lot of heat in this argument [clash of civilizations]. I try to bring in light.
Zaynab: Thank you so much! We look forward to meeting you when you come to Atlanta.
Alex: Thank you.
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