
Meet the 39th Annual Banquet Speakers and Emcee!
Imam Farhan Siddiqi
Imam Farhan was born in Ohio but mostly raised in Connecticut. He specializes in serving the Muslim community through Da’wah and Islamic work. He studied at Umm al Qura University and earned his bachelor’s degrees in the Arabic language and Islamic Studies.
Dr. Altaf Hussain
Dr. Altaf Husain is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. He moved to the DC area in January 1998 from Ohio and chose to live near and attend the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center. He received his Ph.D. in Social Work from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Sh. Hassan Saleh
Isra Chaker
Isra Chaker is a Syrian-American civil rights activist, humanitarian advocate, and public speaker. She currently serves as a Campaign Strategist at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) where she leads national campaigns on issues including immigrants’ rights, racial justice, and work related to AMEMSA communities and indigenous people.
Previously, Isra has served as the Senior Refugee, Migration and Protection Campaign Lead at one of the leading international NGOs in the world, Oxfam America; where advocated for vulnerable people such as refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and opposes discriminatory policies such as the Muslim Bans. She is an appointed Ambassador for One Young World, a global forum of young innovative leaders. She is a Public Advocate for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency USA (UNRWA) for her invaluable contributions in raising awareness and funds for their projects supporting Palestine refugees. In addition, Isra was recognized as an Icon for the “We The Future” campaign by Amplifier, which recognizes ten young activists from across the United States in their leading work on current social justice issues affecting humanity. Isra was chosen to represent the refugee and immigration justice theme, known as “We the Future, will not be Banned”. She is the only Muslim in the campaign, and art work of Isra as well as a curriculum she designed to break down the stereotypes and misconceptions of Muslims, refugees and immigrants was taught to over 400,000 students in schools across the United States in the 2019 academic year.
Ustadha Ieasha Prime
Ustadha Ieasha Prime is a traditional Islamically trained educator, activist, and public speaker. She studied Arabic and Quran at the Fajr Institute followed by general Islamic studies in Cairo, Egypt. After two years in Egypt, she moved to Hadramaut, Yemen, and enrolled in Dar al Zahra, an Islamic University for Women.
Yasmeen Elhadi
Yasmin Elhady is an attorney and comedian. You can find her on TikTok. She’s performed all over DC, including The Kennedy Center, touring nationally and internationally in the UK. Her alter ego is “Yasguru,” a hyper active relationship advisor with silly videos on YouTube & IG.
Every year, Dar Al-Hijrah hosts a fundraiser to keep the community appraised, fundraise, and enjoy a festive night with our community filled with awards, entertainment, remembrance, and delicious food. This year’s theme is inspired by this verse from the Holy Quran:

As for those who believe and whose descendants follow them in faith, We will elevate their descendants to their rank, never discounting anything ˹of the reward˺ of their deeds. Every person will reap only what they sowed.
-Surah 52 Verse 21
As a leading community center, Dar Al-Hijrah seeks to instill justice and virtue by educating, developing, and empowering its congregants, providing services of faith and care for our community and engaging society by building bridges and advocating for social justice. We want YOU to embark with us on this journey as we move forward to further distinguish our Muslim identity.