In this Pennsylvania State University video, Ingrid Mattson, the first female president of the Islamic Society of North America, talks about converting to Islam and the need for understanding the Muslim community. Mattson is a professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. She was described as “Perhaps the most noticed figure among American Muslim women” in a 2010 New York Times article.

Mattson is well-known for her support for a greater public role for Muslim women. She has worked with a Muslim social service agency called Peaceful Families to advocate against domestic violence in the Muslim community and argues against interpretations of the Qur’an that permit violence to or discrimination against women.