20 Facts About Ingrid Mattson

Ingrid Mattson was born on August 24,1963 and is a Canadian activist and scholar.

Ingrid Mattson, the sixth of seven children, was born in 1963 in Kingston, Ontario, where she spent her childhood and attended Catholic schools.

Ingrid Mattson completed her studies in Waterloo and earned combined Bachelor of Arts degrees in Philosophy and Fine Arts in 1987.

Ingrid Mattson received a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago in 1999.

Ingrid Mattson provided consultation during the administrations of US Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama.

Ingrid Mattson's work focuses on fostering positive relationships between groups of differing religious faiths.

Ingrid Mattson is an advocate for interfaith engagement and multi-faith activism in the interest of the public good.

Ingrid Mattson has spent her academic career teaching Islamic Studies and interfaith relations in historically Christian institutions.

Ingrid Mattson invited Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, to speak at the organization's annual convention in Chicago in 2006.

Ingrid Mattson spoke the next year at the group's Biennial where she received a standing ovation and announced "a new partnership that promotes interfaith dialogue and other relationship-building activities" between the two organizations.

Ingrid Mattson has advocated for greater understanding and partnerships between Muslims and Buddhists as well.

Ingrid Mattson shared the stage with the Dalai Lama on a number of occasions, including the "Seeds of Peace" program in Seattle in 2008, in Indiana in 2010, and in Chicago in 2011.

Ingrid Mattson is an original signatory of "A Common Word" and has participated in many Christian-Muslim conferences and dialogues with the Jordanian Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought.

Ingrid Mattson was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2012 by the Chicago Theological Seminary for her service to the faith community.

Ingrid Mattson wears a hijab, but argues that governments should have no authority to enforce religious dress or ban it.

Ingrid Mattson has worked with a Muslim social service agency called Peaceful Families.

Ingrid Mattson explained in an interview with Haute Hijab magazine that she was motivated to act after witnessing on multiple occasions how the community was not able to appropriately acknowledge and deal with such situations.

Ingrid Mattson has been a critic of Islamic religious extremism since she first encountered the Taliban while trying to educate Afghan refugee girls in Pakistan.

Ingrid Mattson has lectured publicly to denounce violence in the name of Islam and advocated for peaceful resolution of conflicts and differences.

Ingrid Mattson was one of the original signatories of the Amman Message that was an international Muslim response to sectarian violence and terrorism in the name of Islam.