CIOGC-MPAC Conference on Oct 24
While the New York Islamic Center controversy and the Florida Pastor who wanted to burn the Qur’an made national headlines, Muslims all across the United States felt the spike in Islamophobia with desecration of mosques and hate crimes becoming more rampant in the past two months. In order to equip the Muslim community with the right tools on how to prevent this discrimination, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago has partnered with the national Muslim Public Affairs Council to bring a daylong conference to Chicago on October 24.
“America the Inclusive: Taking Charge of Our Path Forward” is bringing together nationally-acclaimed and local speakers like Dr. Hatem Bazian, Salam al-Marayati, Edina Lekovic, Ahmed Rehab and Kareem Irfan and Dr. Aminah McCloud.
“Muslims can either sit back and suffer in silence or do something about it,” said Mohamad Nasir, executive director of CIOGC. “We always hear of Muslim students being bullied in schools. We need to find solutions than just complain about these issues. Cultural sensitivity training for teachers and making sue the media reports such cases are just a few of the ways we can alleviate the problem.”
“How to engage public officials”, “How to have an effective voice in the media” and “Building coalitions with interfaith and civic partners” are just a few of the sessions participants can benefit from. The Council is expecting around 300 people and has four parallel tracks - Leadership, Civic Engagement, Young leaders Forum and Educators - to ensure something for every interest.
The day will end with a banquet at 6:30pm featuring Dr. Maher Hathout, senior advisor at MPAC and an internationally recognized authority on the Muslim American identity.
Registration is open for just $35 for a full day conference including lunch. The banquet is an additional $35. Discounts available at www.ciogc.org until October 20.
