June 14, 2011

Last week, MPAC Senior Adviser Dr. Maher Hathout and Director of Policy & Programming Edina Lekovic conducted a powerful workshop called "Truth Over Fear: Countering Islamophobia" for more than 75 members of the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley in Southern California.

"Truth Over Fear" is a workshop and training session developed by MPAC to empower local communities with crucial tools to counter Islamophobia in a proactive and constructive manner. These hands-on training sessions are composed of two primary components: education and hands-on empowerment.

Participants learn how media propaganda produced by a cottage industry of self-proclaimed terrorism experts fuels Islamophobia and dehumanization, and they gain practical tools for addressing the irrational fear of Islam and Muslims that nearly half of Americans admit to having.

They also learned how to effectively engage their elected officials and government representatives, as well as with local and national media outlets.

Through this national campaign, MPAC seeks to inform our country on the dangers that Islamophobia presents to all Americans. The training sessions are meant to raise a proactive voice to counter hate and bigotry, which if left unchecked, can erode the very foundations of our democratic institutions.

To schedule a workshop or forum at your local community, please contact us at (323) 258-6722 or email tof@mpac.org.

-- Edina Lekovic
(edina@mpac.org)
Director of Policy & Programming