Greetings! February was another busy month for the Islamic Speakers Bureau (ISB) as we continued to build on our goal of fostering understanding with an emphasis on outreach. In this respect our media and governmental outreach efforts played an important role this past month. From coverage in a national publication (see "ISB Interfaith Efforts Highlighted In Azizah Magazine"), to being invited to participate in Federal government events (see "ISB Participates In White House Community Outreach Event" and "ISB's Executive Director Attends FBI Citizens' Academy"), the ISB was front and center. Also to further help promote religious understanding, the ISB team conducted numerous presentations (see "Presentations"), and strived to continue ISB's tradition of strengthening relationships between diverse faith communities. The ISB added another bridge-building initiative to its list of accomplishments by partnering with the American Jewish Committee to present a film about Jewish and Muslim ties during World War II (see "ISB Partners With AJC To Showcase Human Solidarity Film"). As always, ISB's work is only possible through the generous support and contribution of its 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
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ISB Partners With AJC To Showcase Human Solidarity Film
|  The ISB recently partnered with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) - Atlanta chapter to present the movie "Free Men" at the 2012 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
"Free Men" is a film about a Parisian mosque that provided a safe haven for Jews during World War II (WWII).
ISB's Imam Plemon El-Amin introduced the movie at its February 12 screening, while Soumaya Khalifa gave her remarks at the February 24 screening.
Imam El-Amin provided the audience with historical background to Jewish-Muslim engagement, including the Nazi era in France, the film's time period. Khalifa, on the other hand, focussed on the interfaith work of the ISB naming specific examples of engagements with the Jewish community.
The Great Mosque of Paris became a sanctuary for Jews escaping persecution from the Nazis during WWII.
Pointing to the film's story of human solidarity, Khalifa stressed that the best way to building better communities is by knowing and working with others.
For more information about the film, please click here. |
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ISB Participates In White House Community Outreach Event
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 ISB Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa was invited to participate in an all day White House community outreach event on February 10 in Atlanta.
The White House Community Partnership Summit, which was held at the Martin Luther King Federal Building, was titled "An America Built to Last."
The event brought Obama Administration officials and Agency Staff from diverse policy areas together with civic, community, non-profit and business leaders to discuss issues critical to each particular community, region and the nation. More than 400 leaders from the Southeast region attended the summit. Similar summits are held in 11 other cities.
The goal of the Partnership Summit is to have community leaders work together alongside Administration officials to create commitments to develop new or expanded projects, public-private partnerships or any other action-oriented pieces they choose. |
ISB Interfaith Efforts Highlighted
In Azizah Magazine |
 ISB's interfaith efforts were highlighted in the February issue of Azizah Magazine.
Azizah, a national publication with a focus on American Muslim women, interviewed ISB Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa in an article focusing on efforts that "promote an environment of peace and interfaith cooperation."
"It is important for people to break down barriers and misperceptions about others through dialogue. Once engaged in a dialogue, it always amazes me how similar people are despite their differences," said Khalifa.
The article also highlighted the work of Sahar Taman who runs Journeys to Understanding, an organization in Fairfax, VA, similar to ISB, that also focuses on bridge building among people of various religions and cultures.
"Working for peace, interfaith harmony and cultural understanding is a demanding, challenging task that requires firm commitment, perceptive vision and hopeful expectations," the article said about Khalifa and Taman.
For the entire article, please click here. |
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ISB's Executive Director Attends FBI Citizens Academy
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 ISB's Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa began attending classes this month run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI).
The FBI Citizens' Academy is a community outreach program that brings civic, business, and religious leaders together and offers them an up close look at how the FBI operates and investigates crimes and threats to national security.
The classes are taught by Special Agents in Charge of a field office, their senior managers, and senior agent experts. The classes generally meet 10 times for three hours each session and end with a graduation ceremony at the end. Community leaders are generally nominated by a Bureau employee or a previous Academy graduate.
The curriculum includes the following topics: Practical problems involving evidence collection and preservation; FBI jurisdiction and congressional oversight; Structure and operation of FBI field offices and resident agencies; Fingerprint, forensic, technology, training, and other services; Policies and issues: ethics, discipline, communications, civil rights, and criminal trends; and Firearms training.
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| Presentations |
Zaynab Ansari presented a combination of "Getting To Know American Muslims and Their Faith," and "Women in Islam" to an intercultural communication class at Georgia State University on February 1. According to the instructor, the students had covered all the major religions, but felt that they needed more information on women and gender issues in Islam.
Amin Tomeh traveled 90 miles to Ellijay, GA to present "Getting To Know American Muslims and Their Faith" to a group of 25 congregants from the Mountain Light Unitarian Universalist Church on February 5.
 Tomeh received the invitation to speak after a referral from the Georgia Mountains Unitarian Universalist Church in Dahlonega, where he presented in November 2011. Huma Faruqi and Noor Abbady presented "Women in Islam" on February 13 to a group of 15 students and six staff members at Marist School, an independent Catholic school. Faruqi and Abbady were invited back by a teacher who attended their presentation at Marist last month. Iqbal Kalla presented to a group of 20 congregants from Kingdom Consulting led by Jeff Seeger at the Islamic Community Center of Atlanta (ICCA) on February 18. Seeger brought other groups to the ICCA for ISB presentations in the past. Soumaya Khalifa, Amin Tomeh, Dr. Abdallah Kapic, and Salma Stoman conducted a "Meaningful Conversation (MC) Workshop" in Warner Robins on February 18. MC is an ISB-Atlanta pioneered workshop to help train speakers on how to engage in meaningful conversation with people of other faith traditions. The workshop, attended by 40 people, included a presentation by each speaker as well as role plays for the audience to participate. Hounada Sinno and Saif Altalib presented "Overview of American Muslims and Their Faith" to a group of 16 senior citizens from the Faith Club on February 27 at the Roswell Community Masjid (RCM). The Faith Club is an interfaith book club. The speakers also led the group on a tour of the masjid and spent 30 additional minutes answering questions.
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| Upcoming Events | March 11: Atlanta Community Food Bank 2012 Hunger Walk/Run. For more information, please click here.
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About ISB
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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). |
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| 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.
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