| Greetings!
Our May/June issue is packed full of stories demonstrating our engagement with the community at many levels. I was honored to be one of the baccalaureate speakers at Decatur High School's graduation ceremony. Seeing a room full of young people embarking on the journey of adulthood was very inspiring.
Monday May 31 is Memorial Day and we salute the men and women who are serving our country. Each of us can serve in our own way by building bridges of understanding and reaching out to others in our neighborhoods, towns, cities, and communities.
If you are interested in the services the ISB provides, or would like to refer a friend to our organization, please visit our website at WWW.ISBATLANTA.ORG. Have a safe and restful holiday, Soumaya Khalifa Executive Director ISB Atlanta |
| ISB Director Speaks with CNN's Don Lemon | 
Soumaya Khalifa was invited to appear on CNN's Newsroom with Don Lemon on May 8. She was joined by Hussein Rashid, associate editor of Religion Dispatches, and human rights attorney, Arsalan Iftikhar. The panel spoke on the impact of the Times Square case on the American Muslim community. The segment may be viewed here. |
ISB Director Joins Interfaith Leaders in Washington D.C. & Atlanta
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Soumaya Khalifa was invited to attend a high-level discussion hosted by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) to welcome members of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) to the United States. The April 26 round table was held at the Ronald Reagan Building and the International Trade Center in Washington D.C. Participants included ISNA Vice President, Imam Mohamed Magid, ISNA National Director, Dr. Sayyid Syeed, Doha Center board members, Dr. Khalid Bin Nasser Al-Khater and Dr. Hamed Abdulaziz Al-Marwani, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of the Archdiocese of Washington, Mara Vanderslice, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and Rashad Hussain, U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. To learn more, and view a slide show of the event, please click on the photo.
On May 10, Ms. Khalifa was invited to participate in a Faith-based Listening Session titled "Collaborating Today for a Healthier Tomorrow." Organized by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Atlanta Regional Office (CMS) and the Southeast Faith-based Task Force, the gathering brought together faith representatives, community leaders, and federal agencies to build partnerships between the federal government and local leaders. This invitation came out of the meeting Ms. Khalifa attended in Washington.
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Pastoral Care for Muslim Patients
|  Soumaya Khalifa was invited to the Compassionate Care Hospice of Atlanta last month to discuss end-of-life issues specific to Muslim patients. Approximately 30 staff members, including case managers and chaplains, gathered to ask questions and share their thoughts on working with diverse patients. The hospice currently has one Muslim patient and is expecting others. The presentation was arranged through a referral from a Jewish chaplain who heard the ISB speak at another medical facility.
The audience was very engaged, and organizers described the presentation as "excellent."
This month, Ms. Khalifa presented to pastoral students and staff at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). Audience members shared their experiences working with Muslims and other diverse patients. Ms. Khalifa writes, "It was a great session. The ISB is helping create a win-win situation for health care providers as well as the Muslim community."
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| ISB Reaches Out to Muslim Community |  Amin Tomeh represented the ISB at an April symposium at Al-Farooq Masjid of Atlanta.
The event was designed to introduce Atlanta Muslims to the basics of interfaith dialogue. Mr. Tomeh used the ISB's Meaningful Conversations model, an approach that the ISB pioneered two years ago to give Muslims the tools to promote interfaith dialogue
Also in April, Ehab Jaleel, creator of the Meaningful Conversations model, and Amin Tomeh spoke to members of the Islamic Community Center of Atlanta (ICCA) in Fayetteville. A participant observed, "The workshop was fantastic--it was informative, useful and enjoyable!"
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| About the ISB | 
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. |
| On Our Calendar |
June 4: East Cobb Islamic Center
June 6: Kids4Peace
June 13: Peachtree Road United Methodist
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"Blessing and Sending Forth:" Celebrating Decatur High School's Class of 2010
|  | ISB Executive Director, Soumaya Khalifa, spoke at a baccalaureate service for Decatur High School seniors on Sunday, May 16. The event was held at Decatur First United Methodist Church and featured representatives from the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions who shared their reflections on the baccalaureate theme of "Blessing and Sending Forth."
Ms. Khalifa congratulated the class of 2010 on achieving a major milestone in their life journey. Speaking to the importance of education in the Islamic tradition, she encouraged students to continue to achieve their dreams, "Do what you have passion for. As the saying goes, do what you love or love what you do until you do what you love. Be the best at whatever you are doing - even if it a very simple job!"
Ms. Khalifa also reminded the audience to celebrate diversity, "Be open to people who are different from you. It is really amazing when people who perceive each other to be different, take time to know each other and find out how much they really have in common. This happens to be a passion of mine but it also makes a lot of business sense. With diversity, one will get the most creative and best ideas for solutions and for making things better."
Congratulations to Decatur High School's class of 2010 and principal, Lauri McKain-Fernandez!
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Imam Plemon T. El-Amin's Life Story Premieres on AIB
|  | AIB Presents, a feature of Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, will air a weekly program with Imam Plemon T. El-Amin. Every Wednesday viewers can join the Imam as he shares reflections and insights from his life journey and his nearly 40 years of experience in interfaith dialogue. Imam Plemon T. El-Amin, who is an ISB board member, recently retired from his post as leader of Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, Atlanta's oldest mosque. Recognized by successive Atlanta mayors and the Atlanta City Council as a pillar of the community, Imam Plemon T. El-Amin is a founding board member of the Faith Alliance.
In April, ISB members attended a celebration dinner in honor of the Imam and the organization took out a full page tribute in the evening's program.
To learn more about the AIB feature, please click here and here.
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| Lively Discussion with International School Parents |  |
On April 23, Soumaya Khalifa spoke with a women's group from the International School of Atlanta. The Women's French Speaking Group meets informally at members' homes on a monthly basis for fellowship and language practice. ISB supporter, Amany Killany Nahas, a member of the group, was the day's hostess. Ms. Khalifa delivered the ISB's signature presentation Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith.
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| Smyrna Kiwanis Club Hosts the ISB | |
The ISB's Mansour Ansari visited the Smyrna Golden K Kiwanis Club at the end of April. The audience of approximately 30 retirees engaged in a lively dialogue on the intersection of religion and public life. The ISB's host, Alan Wilgus, shared notes and pictures from a Middle Eastern tour he took last October and spoke about the importance of traveling to overcome prejudices and stereotypes.
The Smyrna Golden K Kiwanis Club was established in 1986 and has had an active presence in community affairs and service projects in Cobb County.* *From the Smyrna Golden K Kiwanis website |
TESOL Students Learn About Islam & Muslims
| Mansour Ansari presented an overview of Islam & Muslims to TESOL (Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages) students at the end of April. The 20-week program, which is sponsored by Clayton State University's Center for Continuing Education, features diversity training as part of its curriculum.
| Participants enjoyed the workshop and expressed that it was one of the high points of the course with Mr. Ansari being an accessible and good representative of the Muslim faith community.
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Atlanta Interfaith Conversations
| In April, Amin Tomeh was joined by speaker-in-training, Salma Stoman, for two sessions at Northside United Methodist Church. The speakers delivered the popular Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith presentation to a very engaged audience.
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In May, the women of Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church joined the ISB's Huma Faruqi and Amani Elghoroury at the Islamic Community Center of Atlanta for an evening of conversation. Eschewing a formal presentation, the women chose to form a "circle of grace" and engage in dialogue for the purpose of "getting to know their neighbors."
When asked how the ISB might improve its presentation, Christ Our Shepherd member, Edie Eickemeyer,
responded,
"Nothing could have been improved, other than more people meeting these wonderful women."
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| ISB Speaks to North Georgia Progressives | |
The ISB's Bassem Fakhoury was invited to a North Georgia Progressives meeting near Dawsonville at the end of April. The group of retired professionals meet once a month to work together on educating and improving the lives of people in the area.
The ISB's host, Tom Are, learned about the organization at an interfaith event at the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam.
The meeting included dinner and a conversation about living as a Muslim in Atlanta. Mr. Fakhoury writes, "Tom and the group made me feel very welcome. I think I was able to convey a lot of basic information and break down stereotypes. They have already asked me to come back to continue the dialogue, and they also invited me to bring my son and go fishing.
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