Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona

ABOUT US

The Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona (ISBA)  educates people about Islam and other faiths to create a more understanding, tolerant, and accepting civil society. Through our presentations in K-12 schools and colleges,  cultural diversity and competency training for educators and law enforcement officers and health care professionals we break down barriers between communities and improve upon government institutions. 

Originally, ISBA  focused on solving societal issues of misconceptions, ignorance, a lack of awareness and fear of Islam and Muslims. The result of which is intolerance, exclusion, and conflict. We have extended our focus to include Judaism and Christianity and we are expanding to include other faiths. Our interfaith outreach and collaborations have impacted more than 98,000 people through our presentations alone!

We dispel harmful stereotypes and build peaceful communities where people of diverse backgrounds and faiths come to know and respect each other. ISBA uses the tools of education, civic engagement and constructive dialogue to bring about positive community growth, mutual understanding, and a strong civil society.

PROGRAM NEED

 Our Springtime Tea Party: An Interfaith Celebration of Women promotes stronger relationships between women of diverse faiths and minority groups. We create networks of support for the benefit of our city and civil society. Our goal is for African American, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Latina, Hindu and other women to unite in mutual understanding and form beneficial relationships. This Tea increases connections between women across religious and cultural traditions by highlighting shared experiences and concerns among women. We promote understanding and acceptance, relationship building between racial, ethnic, and religious communities, and create networks of support to foster a stronger, more just civil society. We do this by creating interactive, multi-sensory, meaningful connections bringing women from disparate communities together through dialogue, art, film, and music. The interfaith tea event provides a springboard for further engagement and activism.

Using comedy, art, film, and theater we engage participants to  explore ways that religion, race, ethnicity, and gender intersect. Traditionally caretakers of the home we have seen women transcend into caretakers of communities. Strong women build strong networks which can cross communities lines and be mutually beneficial to all groups.