2011 Building Bridges Awards Dinner
The Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta (ISB) held its "2011 Building Bridges Awards Dinner" on October 29, 2011 to celebrate its 10th year anniversary. Photos from the event can be seen here.
Since its inception in August 2001, the ISB has been at the forefront in educating and building bridges of understanding between American Muslims and Americans of other faiths.
Join some of Atlanta's most prominent leaders from the interfaith, education, and business communities as they gather to honor recipients of the "2011 Building Bridges Award." For the past nine years, the ISB has honored individuals and organizations in the metro Atlanta area who have made significant contributions toward interfaith and multicultural understanding.
The 2011 gala will feature a networking reception followed by a banquet, an awards ceremony, and a keynote address from Dr. Azizah al-Hibiri, Founder and Chair of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights who was recently appointed by President Barak Obama to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Azizah al- Hibri is Founder and Chair of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, a professor at the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond, founding editor of Hypatia: a Journal of Feminist Philosophy.
In 1992, Dr. al-Hibri became the first Muslim woman law professor in the United States. Since then, she has written extensively on women's issues, democracy, and human rights from an Islamic perspective. On June 7, 2011, Dr. al-Hibri was appointed by President Barak Obama to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission dedicated to reviewing the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to making policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.
Dr. al-Hibri is the recipient of the Virginia First Freedom Award, presented in 2007 by the Council for America's First Freedom, and the Dr. Betty Shabazz Recognition Award, presented by Women in Islam in 2006. In 2004, the University of Richmond awarded her its Distinguished Educator Award. She received the Willie L. Moore Award from the Law School's Black Law Student Association in 2003.
Dr. al-Hibri's keynote address is entitled "Anti-Shari'ah Laws and Religious Freedom in America".
More information about Dr. al-Hibri's work can be found in this article on womentics.
ISB Atlanta Director Named Muslim Hero
The Muslim Heroes Web Site has named ISB Atlanta's Director Soumaya Khalifa a Muslim Hero.
ISB Atlanta Director Featured in Kuwaiti Newspaper
Executive Director Soumaya Khalifa was featured in an article in El-Anba, a Kuwaiti newspaper, regarding her involvement with the Islamic Speakers Bureau and the role of Arab women in society.
PDF version of translated excerpts from the article.
Original article written by Ms. Bushra El-Zein on El-Anba's web site published on 3/10/2011.
New York Times Recognizes ISB Director
The New York Times published an article on December 27, 2010 on the rise of female Muslim leaders in the United States, recognizing the Islamic Speakers Bureau's Soumaya Khalifa as a prominent example of a major cultural shift.
The recognition afforded ISB by such a major American newspaper is yet another example of the growing and crucial role ISB is playing in helping educate fellow Americans about Islam and American Muslims.
The article, which also appeared in the International Herald Tribune, highlights Khalifa's extensive efforts to reduce the walls of misunderstanding that are so pervasive today in American society.
To read the full article, click here. View a pdf of the original article here.
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