The Islamic Networks Group (ING) is a left-progressive advocacy group promoting the interests of Muslims living in the United States. The organization hosts events intended to portray Muslims and Islam in a positive light while also downplaying criticism of Islamic religious and cultural teachings. In addition, the ING provides sample lesson plans to schools which also aim to present Islam positively. While the organization is explicitly Islamic, it also claims to be an authority on Christianity and other faiths, offering “multifaith” lesson plans intended for teachers to use when teaching about religions. The ING also claims to represent “other misunderstood groups,” and offers resources on combating alleged “systemic racism” in American society. ¹

The ING has an extensive guide to Sharia, the religious code of conduct followed to varying extents by most Muslims and used as a basis for civil law in numerous Islamic countries. The organization compares Sharia to the halakhah, the collection of religious laws in Judaism, and claims that the Magisterium, or teaching authority, of the Catholic Church is equivalent to Sharia. The ING also claims that Sharia, as it is interpreted by “the majority of Muslims,” is compatible with Western conceptions of human rights. ²

Parents Defending Education, an advocacy group which opposes the perceived infiltration of the public education system by left-of-center and radical-left activists, has reported that the ING signed an agreement with the San Diego, California, public school system in 2019 to distribute its pro-Islam advocacy resources in classrooms. ³

Educational Agenda

The ING offers a wide variety of resources with instructions on teaching and discussing Islam, other religions, as well as race and ethnicity. All of these resources aim to promote a positive image of the Islamic religion, its adherents, and the ethnic groups commonly associated with the Islamic world. ⁴ The organization’s “multiculture” curriculum touts the fact that the United States is trending away from being a predominantly Christian nation – in particular, the fact that adherents of other religions tend to be younger than the average Christian in America. The curriculum attributes what it describes as “the present tension over religious and cultural identity in the US” to this change. It also includes instructions on becoming an “ally” to minority groups. ⁵

Views of Sharia

The ING defines Sharia as “the values, code of conduct, and religious commandments or sacred laws” to which Muslims are expected to adhere. The organization’s resource on the subject plays down the aspects of Sharia that prescribe criminal laws and the punishments prescribed for crimes such as theft and adultery: according to the resource, these laws “can only be applied by an Islamic state,” but no existing nations claiming to be “Islamic states” clearly fit the requirements, meaning that the criminal laws are not applicable to contemporary Muslims. (In practice, some states organized on Islamic theological grounds purport to carry at least some of them out. ⁶) The ING argues that implementation of the most severe Islamic laws by some countries and extremist organizations contradicts “both the letter and the spirit of Sharia” and has “given it a bad name.” The organization argues that Sharia affirms freedom of expression and freedom of religion, even in societies dominated by Islam. It also asserts that Sharia has protected the rights of women throughout history and makes the claim that equivalent women’s rights protections did not exist anywhere in Europe until at least the 19th century. ⁷

Leadership

Maha Elgenaidi is Islamic Network Group’s executive director. She founded the group, conducts trainings, and has received a number of regional awards for civil rights and community engagement in California. She is also a part-time instructor at Santa Clara University. ⁸

Ishaq Pathan is ING’s Bay Area director. He has been heavily involved in inter-faith and Muslim groups since college, and is also ING’s media contact. ⁹

Financials

The ING’s annual revenue fluctuates year-to-year. In 2019, the group received just over $780,000, compared to $532,000 in 2018. ¹⁰ It has received at least $50,000 from the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, which otherwise prioritizes left-progressive Jewish organizations when it comes to supporting religion-based groups. The Haas Fund specifically lists the ING under its “Jewish Life” grant program. ¹¹ In 2020, the San Francisco Foundation included the ING in its “COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.” ¹³

1. Islamic Networks Group. Accessed November 13, 2021. https://ing.org/
2. “A Closer Look at Sharia in the United States.” Islamic Networks Group. Accessed November 13, 2021. https://ing.org/a-closer-look-at-sharia-in-the-united-states/
3. “Islamic Networks Group.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed November 13, 2021. https://defendinged.org/report/islamic-networks-group/
4. Islamic Networks Group. Accessed November 13, 2021. https://ing.org/
5. “Online Resources about Multicultures.” Islamic Networks Group. Accessed November 13, 2021.https://ing.org/online-resources-multicultures/
6. “World Report 2021: Rights Trends in Saudi Arabia.” Human Rights Watch, January 13, 2021. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/saudi-arabia#.
7. “A Closer Look at Sharia in the United States.” Islamic Networks Group. Accessed November 13, 2021. https://ing.org/a-closer-look-at-sharia-in-the-united-states/
8. Islamic Networks Group, Media Kit/About page, Accessed November 15, 2021. https://ing.org/media-press-kit/
9. Islamic Networks Group, Media Kit/About page, Accessed November 15, 2021.  https://ing.org/media-press-kit/
10. Islamic Networks Inc. 990s, ProPublica, Accessed November 15, 2021.

     https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/770412815 s Inc – Nonprofit Explorer – ProPublica

11. “Grant Listings: Jewish Life.” Walter & Elise Haas Fund. Accessed November 13, 2021. https://haassr.org/annual_report/2012ar/program-areas-grants/jewish-life/grant-listings/
13. “SFF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.” Accessed November 13, 2021. https://2ib5hhzq9vn2r0apq17idfk1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SFF-COVID-19-Emergency-Response-Fund-Grantees_07-09-2020.pdf

    The Silicon Valley Community Foundation also provided the organization with “emergency” funds related to the COVID-19 pandemic. ¹² “Emergency Response Grants for Nonprofits.” Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Accessed November 13, 2021. https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/nonprofit-grantees