Imam Johari Abdul-Malik Resigns From The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center

Friday, June 9th, 2017/Ramadan 15, 1438 AH

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله – Peace be upon you.

To the Board of Directors, the executive director and to the beautiful community of believers at The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, I pray that this finds you and yours in the best health and Iman/faith. Glory be to Allah, Peace and Blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions and upon all of Messengers of God (peace be upon them all) and those who follow God’s way until the Day of Judgement. Ameen.

Due to the lack of decisive leadership on the part of the board of directors of The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center and after many reprehensible statements made by the senior Imam, Shaker Elsayed, including the most recent statements on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision and especially after his public recanting of his apology I hereby resign my position as Director of Outreach.

Ultimately, The Board of Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center is responsible for the direction of the community and its leadership. They are proceeding in a different direction than I believe is in the best interest of the congregation and the community at-large.
I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to serve not only to the Dar Al-Hijrah community, but to the Greater-Washington area and beyond. It is from the partnership with so many individuals and groups that I have emerged as one of the national voices of the Muslim communities in America. Although we have achieved much over the years as an institution and community, I believe that my time at Dar Al Hijrah has come to an end. My late mother taught me by example how to work hard and serve the community. She was proud of my ministry and she would be proud of my stance today.

Over the years working at Dar Al-Hijrah, I have acquired a great love for the dedication and friendship of Samir Abo-Issa, executive director. I will be eternally grateful to all of the imams for sharing their knowledge with me, especially the late Sheikh Mohamed Al-Hanooti, who has made a profound impact on my understanding of Islam and the Quran.

Finally, it was the leadership of board member, Hossein Goal, and the trust I had in him, that brought me to serve for these 15 years. Without his support, I would not have left my career in medical research to engage the extreme challenges the Muslim community and America faced after the tragedy on September 11, 2001. We have not only overcome (with the help of Allah) many of the challenges that faced us post 9/11, but we overcame these trials to forge solid bonds with local area community organizations, government officials and civic organizations.

Thanks to my team and volunteers for making Dar Al-Hijrah an integral faith institution in Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC area. Now that my work is done, I encourage the institution to overcome their internal challenges and to continue their strategic commitment to build a more vibrant Muslim community to take on the many challenges facing the society today, including racism, poverty, affordable housing, healthcare and social justice.

I have no specific plans for my future employment, my wife and children have sacrificed a great deal in order to allow me to do my work. Now I wish to turn my attention towards supporting my wife and my children in their endeavors.

May The All-Merciful continue to bless Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, its leadership and the mission placed upon the shoulders of the children of Adam and his wife as exemplified by the Prophet Mohammed peace be upon him.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله –
Sincerely your brother in Islam,
Imam Johari Abdul-Malik