ISB Atlanta News

March 2012

Building Bridges of Understanding

ISB Atlanta

Greetings!  

     

March marked the beginning of Spring, a time for new beginnings and renewals.  

 

The Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta honored this month by renewing its commitment to promoting understanding (see "Presentations" and "U.S. - Mideast Youth Dialogue To Promote Understanding"), encouraging community outreach (see "Annual Hunger Walk/Run"), and fostering interfaith dialogue (see "ISB "Sponsors Interfaith Art Gala" and "ISB Participates in Interfaith Presentation Series").

  

March is also Women's History Month a time to honor the work and accomplishments of women world wide. The Islamic Network Group (ING) published a four-week series celebrating Muslim women throughout history and today and their accomplishments in leadership, academia and social influence. My work with the ISB was highlighted in the series, to which I am honored by this recognition and hope that our dedicated volunteers can continue to provide important educational resources to the larger Atlanta community.

   

I encourage you, during this season of growth and renewal, to renew your commitment to building bridges of understanding in your community as well as remembering the ISB as you make your charitable contributions.

 

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-One Nation

Soumaya Khalifa
Executive Director
ISB Atlanta

U.S. - Mideast Youth Dialogue To Promote Understanding
ISB Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa was selected to serve as a virtual mentor to three young leaders from the United States and the Middle East attending a summit at Stanford University this Spring. 

Khalifa's mentees, from the U.S., Lebanon, and Tunisia, are participants in the American Middle East Network for Dialogue at Stanford (AMENDS) Mentorship Program. AMENDS is a student-led initiative designed to foster dialogue and understanding between the United States and countries across the Middle East.

AMENDS brings together mentors and mentees to create a world wide network of youth leaders, activists, academics, and professionals in order to promote an exchange of ideas and to facilitate the development and actualization of youth leader initiatives.  

In addition to working in small groups giving feedback on each other's initiatives, the mentees also work one-on-one with their mentors. Khalifa's role is to to provide insight to the youth leaders interested in starting or furthering a non-profit or business that has high social utility.  

The program culminates with a conference to be held on april10 - 15 where delegates attend workshops focusing on leadership training. For more information on AMENDS, please click here.
ISB Sponsors Interfaith Art Gala 

The ISB sponsored an interfaith art event at Emory University on March 25. 

"The Beauty of Unity" Interfaith Art Gala was presented by Emory University's Muslim Student Association and the Hillel Jewish student organization.  

The event featured many student and professional artists and performers as well as a Jewish-Muslim comedy duo in a show titled, "Stand Up for Peace."    
ISB Participates in Interfaith Presentation Series

The ISB and the East Cobb Islamic Center (ECIC) were hosted by East Cobb United Methodist Church (East Cobb UMC) in a first of a two-part presentation series on March 18. 

 

ISB speaker and Board Member Dr. Asif Saberi was one of the lead coordinators of the interfaith engagement effort.

 

A total of 134 people from the ECIC and the East Cobb UMC attended the "Children of Abraham Series" during which ISB Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa conducted a presentation titled "Exploring Muslim Traditions and Practices." New speaker Abdul Kareem Amer also attended the event.


The program started with welcoming remarks from Pastor Brian Germano, followed by the presentation, then a Q & A session and ending with time for "fellowship," during which an informal discussion took place between members of the two faiths. 

Two weeks prior to the presentation, ISB speaker Ehab Jaleel conducted a Meaningful Conversations Workshop, training on how to engage in meaningful conversation with people of other faith traditions, at the ECIC (see "Presentations" on the right). 

For the second part of the "Children of Abraham Series," the ECIC will host the East Cobb UMC on April 29 for a similar presentation. 
Annual Hunger Walk/Run 
As in previous years, the ISB was represented at the 2012 Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) Hunger Walk/Run on March 11. 

An ISB table was set up under the Community Tent at the event, sharing the space with other community organizations.  

ISB's Amani El-Ghoroury spearheaded "Being Your Neighbors' Keeper" food drive for the ACFB. Four Atlanta mosques (the Islamic Society of South Atlanta, Masjid Al-Ihsaan, Roswell Community Masjid, and Islamic Community Center of Atlanta) reached out to their congregants and collected non-perishable food items from January 30 through March 7.    

 

El-Ghoroury also led community members and friends of the ISB in the Walk/Run to raise awareness.  There were more than 50 participants representing the ISB at the event.  To make a donation, please click here
ISB's Khalifa Named "Contemporary American Muslim Woman"
The Islamic Networks Group (ING) featured ISB's Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa in its latest newsletter celebrating Women's History Month. 

The March issue takes a look at contemporary American Muslim women who founded or lead non-profit organizations, excelled in academics, are authors or publishers, or excelled in sports.  

The ISB-Atlanta is an affiliate organization of the ING.

To view the list of contemporary American Muslim women, click here.
Quick Links



 
Friend Us on Facebook!

Facebook
Contact Us
ISB banner

Donate Now Button
 
In This Issue
U.S. - Mideast Youth Dialogue To Promote Understanding
ISB Sponsors Interfaith Art Gala
ISB Participates In Interfaith Presentation Series
Annual Hunger Walk/Run
ISB's Khalifa Named "Contemporary American Muslim Woman"
Presentations
ING Offers Cultural Competency Training Webinars
Presentations
Noor Abbady presented "Exploring Muslim Traditions and Their Practices" to a group of 10 12th graders at Wesleyan School, a private Christian school, on March 1. ISB speakers are regularly invited to speak at Wesleyan.

Ehab Jaleel facilitated a Meaningful Conversation (MC) workshop, training on how to engage in meaningful conversation with people of other faith traditions, at the East Cobb Islamic Center (ECIC) on March 4. The workshop, attended by 40 ECIC members, was coordinated by Asif Saberi and attended by new ISB speaker Abdul Kareem Amer. This is the second time that Jaleel conducted an MC workshop at ECIC.

Zaynab Ansari Abdul Razacq was a "human book" at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library on March 8. Other "human books" included a politician, a professional philosopher, a gay man with HIV, a Wiccan, a Mormon, a Sikh, an ex-gang member, and a former jailer. 

The "human book" project brings people representing groups that have experienced discrimination or have been the objects of misunderstanding to function as "books" to public library patrons. Librarian checks out a "human book" to a patron for a 20 minute private conversation. "It's a great way to break down barriers and talk to people one ordinarily might not approach," said Ansair Abdul Razacq.  

Dr. Abdullah Kapic and Jelena Naim were both invited to speak to two classes of the Global TESOL (Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages) Program at the University of Georgia on March 10 and 11 respectively. 

Soumaya Khalifa conducted two teacher cultural competency training sessions for students taking diversity courses at Kennesaw State University on March 15. There were 30 students in each class. The professor described the interactive training sessions as "informative, engaging, and eye opening." 

Alan Howard presented to a group of 10 middle school-aged students attending a Confirmation class at the Episcopal Church of the Atonement on March 18. Also attending were the congregation's Rector, Reverend Chris Starr, and 5 parents.  The goal of the presentation was to expose the young students to different faith traditions.  

 

Salma Stoman presented "Overview of American Muslims and Their Faith" to a group of students at Clayton State University. The presentation was sponsored and hosted by the Muslim Student Association and was open to the entire student population. The group expressed interest in inviting ISB back to present the "Women in Islam" presentation. 

 

Mansour Ansari presented to a group of 26 students at Georgia State University (GSU) on the subject of "Poverty in Atlanta and What Can We Do To Help." The presentation was sponsored by the Muslim Student Association at GSU and Project Nur, a student-led initiative advocating for social justice by empowering leaders to cultivate an environment of acceptance and mutual respect between Muslims and other faith communities. Ansari discussed Islam's teachings on how to address poverty. He also listed the different efforts by the Muslim community in the Atlanta metropolitan area aimed at addressing the issue of hunger and poverty. Ansari encouraged the students to get involved as volunteers in these efforts. 

 

Ehab Jaleel presented to a group of Cub Scouts from Cub Scout Pack 83 at Al-Farooq Masjid on March 25. New ISB speaker Fouad Kurdi also participated in the presentation.

ING Offers Cultural Competency Training Webinars

The Islamic Networks Group (ING) is offering diversity seminars for educators and health care providers designed to address contemporary issues and emphasize the need for education to eliminate harmful stereotypes. 

 

This program offers professional development webinars with a focus on American Muslims to meet the need for diversity education and cultural competency skills development.

 

For more information on the seminars designed for administrators and educators, please click here

 

For more information on the seminars designed for physicians and nurses, please click here

About ISB

ISB Logo 


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.
Join Our Mailing List