Whether the audience is middle-schoolers or seminarians, Ishaq Pathan ’16 delivers information as antidote and fuel for understanding. He is the Bay Area director of the Islamic Networks Group, known as ING, a nonprofit that pursues peace through education and engagement, focusing primarily on Muslim religion and culture.
“I first came to the job to develop a new youth program, which aims to empower Muslim teenagers in middle and high school with skills to navigate their own school environments and address any bullying that they might experience,” Pathan says. “We are trying to develop confident Muslim children who have the ability to articulate their identities in the face of misconceptions surrounding their religion in the classroom or outside of school.”
Now in a management position, Pathan still finds opportunity to speak to students and community groups. He loves the interaction and seeing how receptive people are to the information he shares.
Read about other alumni who are making an impact in their professions and communities throughout the world.
Pathan moved to the San Francisco area right of Hamilton, where he majored in anthropology, minored in education and Middle Eastern and Islamic world studies, served as Senior Chapel Fellow, headed the Muslim Student Association, and co-founded the All Beliefs Union. Those interests aligned to prepare him for his current work.
“There are tons of organizations working to counter Islamophobia, but the one that spoke to me was the one that did it through grassroots relationships and education,” Pathan says.
