Greetings!
Thanksgiving is an occasion when many of us gather to give thanks to God for the blessings of family, friends, and community. On behalf of the ISB family, I wish you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. This month's newsletter provides a snapshot of ISB coming together with other faith communities in Atlanta to share food, fellowship, and reflections in the hope of creating a brighter future for all (see "ISB Gives Thanks" story below). As the ISB continues its work in building community ties, I ask that you remember that our work is only possible through the generous support and contribution of our friends and supporters. You can make a secure online donation through our website or mail a check to ISB Atlanta, P.O. Box 2608, Peachtree City, GA 30269. All donations are tax deductible. Thank you, 
Soumaya Khalifa
Executive Director
ISB Atlanta
|
| ISB Gives Thanks | |
The ISB sponsored and participated in a number of activities involving Thanksgiving celebrations this month.
On November 16, the ISB sponsored the annual interfaith Thanksgiving service in Fayette County during which ISB Speaker of the Year Salma Stoman gave her reflections about Thanksgiving. Stoman represented both the ISB and the Islamic Community Center of Atlanta (ICCA) at the "10th Giving Thanks: Sharing Blessings Interfaith Celebration" at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Fayetteville.  "Thanksgiving is in great harmony with Islamic principles," said Stoman. "To be grateful to people is to be grateful to God." The annual interfaith service at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity began 10 years ago following the 9/11 events when the congregation reached out to the ISB. The service, which was followed by a networking reception, also included reflections delivered by representatives of the Christian and Jewish faith traditions. Non-parashible food items were collected at the service to be donated to Fayette Samaritans, a Christian ministry serving those in need in Fayette County. Other sponsors included Congregation B'nai Israel, Episcopal Church of the Nativity, First United Methodist Church of Fayetteville, Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, and Islamic Community Center of Atlanta. In continuation of Thanksgiving celebrations, ISB Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa was a table host at a luncheon on November 17. The American Jewish Committee and Atlanta's Consular Corps hosted Atlanta's ethnic, religious and international communities at their Seventh Annual Thanksgiving Diversity Luncheon. Also on November 17, the ISB was a sponsor of the "7th Annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Celebration" at Temple Kol-Emeth. The event, attended by 1200 people, brought different faith communities together for uplifting Thanksgiving prayer celebration. "The event consisted of speakers from different faiths sharing their thoughts about the importance of being thankful from their own faith perspective," said ISB speaker Bassem Fakhoury who was on the event's planning committee.  Donations were collected for Atlanta Foodbak (non-parashible food items) and Give-a-Gobble (fund to buy turkeys for needy families). Other sponsors included the Roswell Community Masjid, Eastmister Presbyterian Church, Chinmaya Missions/Hindu, Emerson Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i Center for Learning, Islamic Center of Marietta, Masjid Al-Muminun, North River Church of Christ. |
| Muslim-Jewish Twinning Event | |
The ISB participated in a building bridges event at The Temple on November 20 commemorating the "Weekend of Twinning," a global initiative during which Muslims and Jews come together to denounce religious bigotry. Atlanta has been a participant in "Twinning" events for the past four years.
 The ISB, the American Jewish Committee's Access, and the Temple's Open Jewish Project partnered together to bring back to Atlanta the film "Cousins of Faith," an ethnographic documentary comparing the daily life of an observant Muslim (ISB speaker Ehab Jaleel) and an observant Jew (Kivi Bernhard) both living in Atlanta. The film depicts the similarities between the two in terms of how they observe their respective faiths and live their lives focusing on how they pray, work and interact with their respective families. A facilitated discussion with Jaleel, Bernhard and the film maker David Micley followed. "Cousin of Faith" first debuted in Atlanta in April 2011 at Emory University (for April newsletter click here). To view the film, click here. |
|
ISB Co-hosts Government and
Law Enforcement
| |
The ISB co-hosted federal government officials with the Istanbul Center on November 10. The meeting took place at the Istanbul Center during an Atlanta Quarterly Community Engagement Roundtable meeting organized by
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL).
The meeting brought together representatives of different ethnic communities to hear from law enforcement officials represnting the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Also in attendance were representatives from the Mexican Consulate, Gwinnett County Human Relations Commission, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Al Farooq Masjid, Alif Institute, GA Muslim Lawyers Association, as well as a number of immigration lawyers and community activists. |
| ISB Brings Eid Crafts to Imagine It! Children's Museum |
 Imagine It! Children's Museum featured arts & crafts day on November 5 commemorating Eid ul-Adha, the holiday marking the Muslim Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
ISB speaker Jelena Naim has been visiting the museum since 2007 to help children celebrate the holiday. Naim read to a group of 12 children and their parents from the book "Tell Me About Hajj" and led them through a "Make 'n Take" crafts workshop, which included three different crafts ready to be assembled.
As part of the "Meet the Holidays Programming," representatives of different faiths are invited to the museum to feature their their respective holiday seasons.
The museum also featured Eid ul-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan, in September this year.
|
ISB Anniversary Celebration
On Twitter |
 The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) posted several messages on Twitter on October 29 covering the ISB "2011 Building Bridges Awards Dinner" celebrating ISB's 10th year anniversary at the Cobb Galleria Centre.
"Soumaya Khalifa and team gets major props for inspiring Islamic Speakers Bureau awards dinner" said one tweet.
AJC Faith and Values (@ajcFaithValues) provides coverage from the AJC with a focus on nonprofits. |
|
|
|
|
| Presentations | Jelena Naim presented to a group of students in a Geography for Educators class at Mercer University on November 2. Hosted by Dr. Mark Duggins, Naim focused her presentation on demographics, beliefs, and practices.
Dr. Abdullah Kapic gave a custom-tailored presentation to a group of 15 students at Oglethorpe University on November 8 focussing on history and the depiction of Jesus in both Muslim and Christian scriptures. Reverend Dr. G. Gil Watson invites ISB speakers to his class regularly.
On behalf of the ISB, Hud Williams, a financial analyst, spoke to approximately 25 members of the Muslim Law Student Association at Georgia State University College of Law on November 8. The topic of the presentation was "The Practicality of No Interest in America." He answered questions on Islamic financing and provided differing views within Islamic jurisprudence on interest. Soumaya Khalifa gave a presentation about the Quran to a group of senior citizens and their chaplain at Briarcliff Oaks senior living community. The presentation was part of a series of presentations coordinated by the chaplain. Zaynab Ansari Abdul-Razacq and Alan Howard presented "Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith" to a group of 30 students and faculty at North Georgia College and State University on November 15.  An hour long Q & A session followed the presentation as many of the students were writing a paper on the topic.
| |
Dr. Abdullah Kapic presented to a group of 10 students and their pastor at the ministry of the Wesley Foundation at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech). The presentation was part of their studies on world religions.
Amin Tomeh was invited by the Georgia Mountains Unitarian Universalist Church in Daholnega to speak to their congregation on November 20. Tomeh gave an overview about Islam and Muslims by discussing excerpts from the"Getting to know American Muslims and Their Faith" presentation.
|
|
About 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). |
Volunteer
| Volunteerism is one of the primary drivers of our continued growth and success. Most of our volunteers are students or full-time professionals who find the time to contribute to non-profit work. In return, they find great satisfaction and fulfillment by providing an important service to their community. For more information click here. For an ISB Volunteer Request Form, click here.
|
Friend Us on Facebook!
| 
|
Contact Us
|  | 
|
|
|
