A Note from Welton
My wife, Judy, and I just returned from a short vacation on the Gulf Coast. But …
Read MoreSummer Newsletter 2012
FAQ From You: How can I honor this year’s Faith & Freedom Award recipients if I can’t attend the event?
As you’ve probably heard, Interfaith Alliance recently announced the recipient of our 2012 Walter Cronkite Faith …
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Inside Interfaith Alliance: Welcome, Sana!
Interfaith Alliance is pleased to welcome our newest staff member: Sana Saeed.
We welcomed Sana Saeed as our LEADD Coordinator in May, and she has hit the ground running!
In 2008, Sana completed a master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution in Virginia. Previously, Sana worked as the Director of Youth Programs at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA), Va., managing social justice, spiritual and service programs for 200 high-school and middle-school youth. While working at the UUCA, Sana was also the consulting Program Manager for the Interfaith Youth Action Group (IYAG), an initiative of the non-profit 9/11 Unity Walk and ML Resources Social Vision. Sana is currently a board member of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.
Read MoreHighlights from this year’s LEADD trainings
Thanks to everyone at Interfaith Alliance for giving me a warm welcome as the new LEADD Coordinator for the organization’s youth program! I’m excited to report that I’ve already enjoyed the chance to organize a Leadership Education Advancing Democracy and Diversity (LEADD) event.
As you probably know, LEADD is Interfaith Alliance’s innovative program that immerses high school students in the history of the First Amendment, particularly its Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses. During the trainings, which are either weekend or daylong, students learn about current policy, legislative and legal issues regarding religious freedom.
Read MoreReason vs. Rhetoric: Understanding American Muslims
Earlier this summer, Interfaith Alliance co-sponsored a daylong symposium, Reason vs. Rhetoric: Understanding American Muslims. Held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., in partnership with the British Council, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, and the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum, the symposium explored issues facing the American Muslim community, their place in the broader national landscape, and how the American religious freedom framework compares and contrasts with the European framework. For those who missed it, full video of the day’s conversations is available on our website.
With combating anti-Muslim bigotry increasingly becoming a major focus of Interfaith Alliance’s work protecting faith and freedom – and one of the biggest religious freedom issues facing our nation today – it was exciting to spend the day exploring these fascinating, important issues with experts whose credentials are truly impressive.
Read MoreVenturing off the trail to protect religious freedom
Interfaith Alliance President sends letter calling Louisiana school voucher program bad for religious freedom
Our work defending religious liberty off the campaign trail is just as important as our work on the trail.
This summer, Louisiana implemented a new school voucher program that is bad for religious freedom and bad for public education as well as a blatant attack on the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Louisiana’s voucher program will use tax dollars to fund private and parochial schools and religiously-based curricula.
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