In This Issue
TESTIMONIALS
"The youth presentation exceeded my expecations. Faraz was open to all questions and was engaging with the students the entire presentation."
-Host from
Al Bayan Learning Center
PRESENTATIONS
In June the ISB Presented:

American Muslims: Beliefs and Practices



In June, the ISB presented to:

 DeKalb County Public
 Library/Clarkston branch

102nd GA Parent Teacher Association Convention for Leadership Training held in Athens, GA

Roswell Community Masjid 

Impact Ministries 

St. Benedict's Episcopal Church

Children's Museum of Atlanta



The ISB thanks our presenters:

Tariq Abdul-Haqq
Shaheen Bharde
Said Elkhodary
Khadeejah Farooq
Talha Faruqi 
Soumaya Khalifa
  Hina Mahmood
Edward Mitchell
Jelena Naim
Amanda Shaikh




To request a presentation or workshop, please click here.
 

 
To request an Interfaith panel, click here.
MEDIA COVERAGE



CONTACT US
Email:
director@isbatlanta.org

Phone: 
(404) 632-3550

Mail:
ISB Atlanta
P.O. Box 723426,
Atlanta, GA  31139
BUILD BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING



As we approach this holiday weekend of July 4th, we would like to reflect on the reason for celebrating Independence Day. We celebrate the values that our country was founded upon. The Declaration of Independence was written with the theory that every person has inherent rights. It reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

On Wednesday, July 6th, American Muslims will mark the end of Ramadan with communal prayers and celebrations at locations around the country. The prayers and the holiday that follows are called Eid ul-Fitr  or "festival of the breaking of the fast." During this holiday, Muslims exchange the greeting "Eid Mubarak" or "blessed Eid." Eid Mubarak to our Muslim readers!

The ISB is proud to be a source for faith and civic collaboration promoting community understanding and inclusion.  We bring education about Islam and world religions to the public sphere within our communities.  We teach and collaborate in an open way to build a better tomorrow.  Without your support, the ISB cannot do the work that must be done. We urge you to check out how you can help us with three projects here!  Thank you! 

The ISB wishes you happiness, a Happy Independence Day, and a blessed Eid!


ISB Announces Champions of Community Engagement Award!


The ISB is pleased to announce that this year's finalist for the Champion of Community Engagement Award is the Roswell Community Masjid. RCM's track record includes the Straight Talk collaboration, an art exhibit, several interfaith efforts, and outreach to law enforcement.  RCM is a welcoming place for people from all backgrounds and is committed to diverse leadership. 

The ISB solicited nominations from its members for organizations that have demonstrated excellence in building bridges in their communities. Organizations  were all evaluated based on their  track record of successful community outreach,  commitment to inclusive leadership and programming, a  dedication to service, and a  history of collaboration with  ISB  Atlanta.

ISB presented this award to RCM on July 2nd.  RCM's  President Ahmad Hashem and Imam Arshad Anwar accepted the award presented to them by ISB Board Member Dr. Nabile Safdar and Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa. President Hashem and Imam Arshad spoke about how the ISB is impacting the metro Atlanta area and they mentioned many of the collaborations between the two organizations.  

The ISB thanks its members for their nominations and contributions to ISB's partnerships with RCM and other exemplary organizations in Atlanta.
Khalifa Speaks at Memorial Service for Muhammad Ali at Atlanta Masjid 
 Soumaya Khalifa (Executive Director of ISB) speaks at the Memorial service for Muhammad Ali at Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam. 
Participants join in the closing Janazah funeral prayer for Muhammad Ali at the conclusion of an interfaith memorial service at the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam on Thursday, June 9, 2016, in Atlanta. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
Over 1,000 people gathered on June 9th at the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam to attend an interfaith memorial service for athlete and philanthropist Muhammad Ali at the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam.  on Thursday, June 9th. CAIR Georgia united with other Georgia Muslim organizations and mosques to remember and pray for the late athlete and humanitarian. 

"I have been consumed over the last few days with Muhammad Ali," said Soumaya Khalifa, executive director of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta, who fought back tears. "When I watch videos of him, he is like a dear and near family member that I had never met. He exemplifies what a Muslim should be like - strong, courageous, compassionate, and knows himself well and was willing to pay the price for that courage."

Organizers of the memorial were Imam Sulaiman Hamed of the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam and Edward Ahmed Mitchell of CAIR Georgia.  Speakers at the memorial included  Imam Sulaimaan Hamed of Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, Edward Ahmed Mitchell of CAIR Georgia, Imam Ibrahim Pasha, former imam of Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, Dr. Gerald Durley,  former Pastor of Providence Missionary Baptist Church, Reverend Dr. Francys Johnson, President of Georgia NAACP, Ron Thomas, Sports Journalism Director at Morehouse College, State Senator Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta), and Commissioner Larry Johnson (Dekalb County).

During the event, this diverse group of speakers discussed what Ali meant to their respective communities.  Please click here to read the AJC article and here to view the full video of the event.
ISB Remembers Orlando Victims at Center for Civil and Human Rights
Soumaya Khalifa felt sad that Orlando would no longer be connected in our minds with "the Magic Kingdom" but with terrorism. She felt especially saddened when reading about the text  message from one of the victims to his mother: "I think I am going to die..."
Imam Plemon El-Amin offered a prayer to "heal our broken hearts....save us from extremism that destroys...turn our terror into fortitude and empower our tears. May peace fill our world"



Khalifa also spoke out on the Orlando shootings on a TV panel with Brenda Wood on 11 Alive. Please click here to view the video. Khalifa also remembered Orlando victims with travelers at Atlanta Airport's interfaith chapel below. Please click here to view the chapel video.


The ISB sends prayers to the survivors of the shooting, friends and family of the victims, and the first responders to the scene of this brutal attack. The ISB also denounces this mass shooting here.
ISB Represented at Fulton County Chairman's Interfaith Roundtable 

ISB Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa spoke at a Fulton County Interfaith Cultural Roundtable Event at Al Farooq Masjid. Khalifa was invited to speak by Fulton County Chairman John Eaves. R epresentatives from different communities and organizations  were invited to speak at the press conference.  The Chairman and a commissioner passed a resolution in light of the massacre that took place in Orlando.  

The event was moving and Khalifa  thanked the Chairman and the Commissioner for passing such a resolution saying, "The resolution is a breath of fresh air."  Khalifa spoke about the need to have gun control and the need to treat people similarly - she compared the Charleston shooter, and how he was labeled as mentally unstable, to the Orlando shooter.

Speakers included Imam Plemon El-Amin of Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, Jeff Graham of GA equality, Dov Wilker of AJC, John Horn - US Attorney, Kent Alexander of The Temple, Dr. Gerald Durley of Providence Missionary Baptist Church, and more.  
Presentations
ISB-ers Shaheen Bharde, Khadeejah Farooq, and Amanda Shaikh presented American Muslims: Beliefs and Practices at Roswell Community Masjid to middle school youth and adults with Impact Ministries.
Reverend Brian Sullivan, ISB-er Khadeejah Farooq, Imam Arshad Anwar, and ISB-er Tariq Abdul-Haqq  presented  American Muslims: Beliefs and Practices to the congregation at St. Benedict Episcopal Church. 
Khadeejah Farooq shed some light on American Muslims at St. Benedict Episcopal Church.
ISB-ers Talha Faruqi, Hina Mahmood, and Jelena Naim participated in the new ISB  children's program that featured a Ramadan Puppet Show at Children's Museum of Atlanta.  The presentation consisted  of an interactive puppet show followed by crafts that related to Ramadan, a special month of fasting for Muslims.

Global Atlanta featured Make a Difference! essay contest winner  Sania Shaikh's essay on her role model Ms.  Hadayai Majeed. Shaikh saw Majeed  not just as a domestic-abuse survivor, but one who turned her tragedy into a greater purpose: Helping others avoid the same fate, and fostering discussion about women's issues often seen as taboo in Islamic cultures. Click here to read the inspiring essay!