ISPU is coming to MAS-ICNA 2020! You have three opportunities to attend events with ISPU’s staff.

Community in the Time of Corona with Petra Alsoofy 

Saturday Dec 26, 2 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. CST 
As COVID-19 continues to spread in many communities, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) and a group of partners set out to study how American Muslims have been impacted by the pandemic, using responses to a widely disseminated survey. The resulting research, Community in the Time of Corona, is an ongoing project that investigates how COVID-19 is impacting the mental health, faith, service work, and other aspects of life for Americans who are Muslim The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) is joined in this work in partnership with the Muslim American Society (MAS), the National Muslim Taskforce on COVID-19 (a coalition chaired by AMHP, FCNA, IMANA, and ISNA), U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations, Islam in Spanish, National Black Muslim COVID Coalition (BMCC), and Poligon Education Fund. Join us to learn what the research has documented including  stories of service from American Muslims in the fight against COVID-19 as well as the impact of COVID-19 on Muslim communities. 

Well-Connected: Community Service and Civic Engagement for Political Power with Dalia Mogahed and Ismahan Abdullahi

Sunday Dec. 27, 2:30 pm – 2:55 p.m. CST 
The bottom-up model in building a political power showed to be more stable and long lasting compared to the top-down model with no grassroot support. The community seeking a political power and voting influence needs to be well-integrated in its surroundings, caring for its well-being, promoting the quality of life through both political and non-political processes. That is what “Civic Engagement” does as civic engagement involves “working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference.” For positively affecting the decision making on its different levels (local, state, national), that leaves a favorable impact on the people’s day-to-day needs, suffering and plans showing compassion toward the society and investing in its community services needs to be a priority. This is what “Community Service” is entitled for. For this reason, both community service and civic engagement are essential for creating a political power.

The American Dream and Pursuit of Happiness: (Is it Endangered?) with Dalia Mogahed

Saturday Dec. 26 7:30 pm – 7:55 p.m. CST
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.” — United States Declaration of Independence.  With the growing wave of racial injustice, social disharmony, political polarization, and “Trumpian” xenophobic movement, “Is the United States losing a war it does not even know it is fighting?” asks author Edward N. Luttwak. Addressing the roots for endangering the American dream for “Pursuit of Happiness” is a mandate that should be shouldered by every faithful citizen.

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