Facing Challenges with Faith and Devotion: American Muslims are the most ethnically diverse faith community in the country, representing not only ethnic and racial diversity but also political and socio-economic.  For a community that only makes up one percent of the U.S. population, it faces countless societal challenges, over representation in negative media and impacted by discriminatory policies but also a community that continues to be resilient. ISPU’s research demonstrates that faith has been central in building the resilience to confront these challenges.  In this session, the ISPU will share our research on American Muslims and other faith communities to illustrate the commonalities, differences, and role of faith in people’s lives.  This research will inform faith leaders about the common struggles of the communities they serve and open the door to conversations about how these communities view each other, what they have in common, and what they can build on to address challenges in their communities.  It will also inform the lay people about their neighbors and present a picture that will never have been seen in the media. The hope is that the information presented will allow people to focus on  promoting Social Justice and Combating Systemic Disparities in all communities from systemic poverty to discrimination and environmental justice.

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Petra Alsoofy, Senior Outreach and Partnerships Manager at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), will facilitate these sessions, with local clergy and lay assistance.

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Petra Alsoofy is the Senior Outreach and Partnerships Manager at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU). ISPU, a nonprofit applied research organization, provides objective research and education about American Muslims to support well-informed dialogue and decision-making. Petra’s work at ISPU includes strengthening valued partnerships and creating new ones, ensuring ISPU’s research reaches the public and critical stakeholders such as policymakers, community and interfaith leaders, media professionals, and educators. She has developed and conducted various trainings and programs, including government briefings, researchers’ convenings, significant conferences and media appearances, and subject area expert meetings on American Muslim communities.

 

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