Dear Friend, 

Over the past few months, like many of you, I have struggled to bear, let alone comprehend, the increasing tragedies overseas and their direct impact on so many in our communities. I am so thankful to be part of a team that sprang into action to provide much needed context, facts, and education helping to address those impacts here at home. So, let me share how I got here...

8:  I was 8 years old when I was called a terrorist.  A group of kids wrote it on my desk and told me to go back to my country. I’m from Brooklyn, New York City—this is my country. Yet in that moment, I felt so alone.

What if I knew that 64% of Muslim families who report their children face bullying for their religious identity say it originates from other students at school? Maybe I would have felt less alone. But how would I know? I was 8.

My teacher should have known. What if she had a resource like ISPU's religious-based bullying report to help her better understand, identify, prevent, and address religious-based bullying in school settings? I needed ISPU then. I need it now. 

17: I was 17 years old when I decided I identified as spiritual, instead of Muslim. Subconsciously, whenever I heard Muslim, I thought “terrorist.” Muslim terrorist. In my mind, those two words were connected. I hadn’t realized the media flooded me with this message. Islamophobia didn’t just distance people of other faiths and no faiths from Muslims—it distanced Muslims from ourselves. 

What if I knew more about the harmful negative stereotypes often associated with American Muslims and how they are perpetuated? I had internalized messages about collective blame (the idea that most of a racial, religious, or other group are partially responsible for acts of violence carried out by other members of that group), which impacted my relationship with my religious identity. This concept is one of five negative stereotypes associated with Muslims in America that ISPU measures as part of our Islamophobia Index. I needed ISPU then. I need it now. 

Will you consider supporting ISPU this year’s end to help us get these facts into the hands of young people, teachers, and families?

62: ISPU’s Banking While Muslim research revealed: 62% of Muslims who have faced challenges while banking have faced a challenge with a nonprofit account, including having a credit card closed or having a nonprofit account opening denied.  What is the impact? Humanitarian relief gets delayed. Social good businesses are stuck in survival mode.  

This was a fact I should have known.  I am a Muslim who worked in banking for years. At JP Morgan Private Bank, I often worked with the top 1%, advising CEOs, private equity partners, hedge fund principals, and their families. I interned on the Europe Middle East Asia (EMEA) team. A webinar on the phenomena of banking while Muslim is what drew me to ISPU. This was the piece that moved me—that led me to taking the position of ISPU’s Director of Development this summer. It was a gateway to many more gems I truly value. ISPU provides incredible insights that more people should know. I needed ISPU then—and I found it!

Sometimes I hear how we are “just” a research institute, not an organization that delivers humanitarian relief. But with ISPU’s research, we can help those orgs run better and address challenges. That was our intent when we partnered with LaunchGood and IRUSA to publish our Banking While Muslim research. With policy changes to fight bias, we can see so much more American Muslim impact and innovation. 

The right information in the right hands will lead to policies, programs, and perceptions based on facts, not guesses or misinformation, leading to more well-informed decisions. We know the real facts, but we need them in more hands.   

What I should have known then, I know now. 

So, let’s talk about now: I wouldn’t be a development director if I didn’t remind you: To do what we're doing, and do it really well, we’ll need to raise $100,000 before the year ends. 

Will you donate today to ensure that we are able to keep producing and sharing this vital research?  

With your help, those who didn’t know of ISPU then, can know about ISPU now. I strongly believe in this work. This is why instead of accepting gifts on my birthday, I suggested gifts to ISPU. This is why I have pledged a portion of the Ali Family Foundation to ISPU after my death. This is why my parents give and my close friends give.

I do not want to live in “what ifs”—what if someone who needs ISPU doesn’t find us? I want everyone to know what I wish I would have known sooner. If we work together, InshaAllah we can do this.

Farah Ali

Director of Development

Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

ISPU is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and education institute. Contributions to ISPU are zakat-eligible and tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

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