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Dar Al-Hijrah

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For the concept of "dar al-hijra" in Islamic history, see dar al-hijra.

Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center (Arabic: مركز دار الهجرة الاسلامي) is a mosque in Northern Virginia. It is located in the Seven Corners area of unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.[1][2][3]

Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusMosque
LeadershipImam Farhan Siddiqi
StatusActive
Location
LocationSeven Corners, Virginia, U.S.
Geographic coordinates38°51′41″N 77°08′48″W / 38.8614°N 77.1466°W / 38.8614; -77.1466
Architecture
TypeMosque
StyleIslamic
Completed1991
Construction cost$5 million
Specifications
Capacity5,000 (inside)
Minaret(s)1
Website
hijrah.org

History

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Dar Al-Hijrah was founded in 1983 by a group of university students, mostly of Arab origin, who had broken away from the Islamic Center of Washington.[4][5][6] It was one of the first mosques to be established in Northern Virginia, near Washington, D.C.[7] It is also one of the area's largest and most influential mosques.[4]

A small group of families,[8] with help of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), purchased the mosque's grounds on June 19, 1983.[9] The mosque was first established in a house that is still on the center's campus, and now serves as a food bank. Approximately 30 congregants would attend the weekly jumu'ah (Friday prayer) during the mosque's early years.[8] The current building, on a 3.4 acre plot, was finished for $5 million in 1991 ($11,184,950 today) with financial help from the Saudi Embassy's Islamic Affairs Department.[4]

In 1993, some area residents attempted to force closure of the mosque, saying it violated Fairfax County zoning ordinances.[3] Worshipers believed the attempt was fueled by anti-Islamic bigotry.[3] However, despite the mosque's humble beginnings and early challenges, Dar Al-Hijrah grew to become a powerhouse mosque by 2000, serving the thriving and diverse Muslim community outside Washington, D.C.[10]

The FBI Director of Counter-Intelligence for the Middle East, Gordon M. Snow, was a frequent, weekly attendee of the services in spring and summer 2001, while also completing his master's degree 3 miles away.[11]

As of 2004, the mosque was associated with the Muslim American Society, a non-profit that advocates for Islam in the U.S.; the MAS has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood by way of its founders.[4][12] Some members of the congregation disagreed with the close association between the MAS and the mosque, and the lack of inclusiveness in the congregation.[4] In 2004, Omeish called for greater inclusion of young people and women in the congregation.[4] He said that the board had been examining proposals to reduce its close ties to the MAS and increase diversity on the board.[4]

Activities

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The mosque holds prayers five times daily, and Friday prayer attendance exceeds 3,000 people.[4][13] In September 2004, about sixty percent of its membership was Arab, with an increasing percentage coming from countries such as Somalia, Morocco, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh.[4]

Activities in addition to prayers include lectures, conferences, youth recreation and outdoor activities (such as camping and field trips) through its Youth Center, women's classes, health fairs, and financial assistance. It also operates an Islamic School called the "Washington Islamic Academy in Northern Virginia". In addition, Dar Al-Hijrah co-sponsors an annual civic picnic, along with other Northern Virginia organizations, at which candidates for local office meet Muslim voters.[4][14] Dar Al-Hijrah is open for group tours.

Leadership

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Jamal al Barzinji[8] and Samir Salah[15] both were among Dar Al-Hijrah's original founding members. Al Barzinji was listed as Dar Al-Hijrah's original trustee while Salah would later become the mosque's president (as of 2008).[15] Mohammed Ali Al-Hanooti, a Palestinian imam that had previously served at mosques in New Jersey, was Dar Al-Hijrah's imam from 1995 to 1999.[16] Dar al-Hijrah's previous imams at that point did not speak English and lacked engagement with the youth.[10] With Al-Hanooti's departure, mosque leaders specifically sought out to hire an imam that could attract young people and non-Arabic speakers.[4][17]

Brooklyn-born convert-to-Islam Imam Johari Abdul-Malik was previously the Director of Outreach for Dar Al-Hijrah from June 2002[18] until June 2017.[19] Speaking on his role at the mosque, he said, "It's important that there's an American at the mosque to speak with media, to defend Islam, who can talk about the rights of Muslims. It would be difficult for us if we had an imam who didn't understand the process here."[20] During his tenure at Dar Al-Hijrah, Abdul-Malik commented on criminal cases against several American Muslims, including that of one Dar Al-Hijrah congregant. Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who had worshipped and taught at Dar Al-Hijrah, was charged in 2005 by U.S. prosecutors with plotting with members of al-Qaeda to assassinate President George W. Bush. Abdul-Malik accused the government of singling him out to stir anti-Muslim sentiment.[21][22]

Sheikh Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh, formerly a Muslim Brotherhood member in Sudan, and one of the founders of both the mosque and the Muslim American Society (MAS), was the mosque's imam between August 2003 and May 2005. He left the mosque to become the executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America, an association of Islamic legal scholars.[4][23]

Shaker Elsayed, a Shariah law scholar born in Cairo, Egypt, has been the resident imam at Dar Al-Hijrah since June 1, 2005.[24] From 2000 through 2005 he was the Secretary General of the Muslim American Society.[25] He unequivocally condemns terrorism and states that the mosque actively publicizes that condemnation to the public.[26]

Board of directors and executive committee

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The mosque's nine-member board of directors consists of the secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the president of the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA), the general manager of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), the president of Muslim American Society (MAS), the president of the Dar Al-Hijrah Executive Committee, and four other members.[27] Directors serve for five-year terms, and new directors are elected by the currently serving directors. Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar, a Palestinian later convicted of criminal contempt and obstruction of justice for refusal to testify in a trial related to the funding of Hamas in the US, was a member of the executive committee.

Dar Al-Hijrah has a seven-member executive committee; every two years four committee members are appointed by the mosque's board of directors, while the other three are elected by its membership.[4] Imams Shaker Elsayed and Johari Abdul-Malik serve on the executive committee.[28] Esam Omeish, former president of the MAS, is a member of the board.[29]

The mosque had 250 voting member families as of September 2004.[4]

Outreach

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Dar Al-Hijrah is active in community outreach and service,[30] and promoting mutual understanding in the local area.[4] It participates in community food banks, back-to-school supply, community clean-up efforts, is engaged in interfaith projects, and participates in civil rights work.[4] Its social services department provides food, clothing, and other household items to needy local families of all faiths.

During the Islamic month of Ramadan, Dar Al-Hijrah free meals nightly to all, regardless of faith; over 800 meals each night.[31] These include a weekly Iftar for Muslims incarcerated in nearby prisons. Also during Ramadan, the center sponsors interfaith and civic iftar dinners for local officials from the police force, fire department, and emergency medical services as well as various faith groups to promote mutual understanding. It also distributes tens of thousands of dollars in zakat every Ramadan.

Controversy

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Several sources indicated that Nidal Hasan, the perpetrator of the November 5, 2009 Fort Hood shooting, attended the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque at the same time in 2001 as Nawaf al-Hazmi and Hani Hanjour (two of the September 11 hijackers). Al-Hazmi and Hanjour had attended the mosque for several weeks during 2001 when Anwar al-Awlaki was imam there; a law enforcement official said that the FBI would look into whether Hasan associated with the hijackers.[4][32][33][34][35] The mosque issued a statement condemning the Fort Hood shootings, and al-Awlaki's praise of them.[36] In addition, the phone number for the mosque was found in the apartment of one a planner of the September 11 attacks, Ramzi bin al-Shibh in Hamburg, northern Germany.[37] Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who was convicted of providing material support to al Qaeda and conspiracy to assassinate President George W. Bush, worshiped and taught Islamic studies at the mosque around that time, where he was also a camp counselor.[38][39][40]

Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar, a member of the mosque's executive committee, was convicted in November 2007 of contempt and obstruction of justice for refusal to testify before a grand jury with regard to Hamas, and sentenced to 135 months in prison.[4][41][42]

The mosque is known for being politically militant. Jeffrey Goldberg, in his 2008 book Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror, characterizes Dar Al-Hijrah as an openly political mosque that has conducted militant Friday sermons, especially prior to the September 11 attacks.[6] The Washington Post has called its leaders "outspoken in criticizing U.S. law enforcement actions against Muslims and U.S. policies in the Middle East."[4]

In May 2017, Shaker Elsayed, the head imam of the center, said in a video that he recommended removing a young girl's labia and clitoris, a procedure known as female circumcision or female genital mutilation (FGM). The comments were brought to light by a tweet by the Middle East Media Research Institute in June,[43] which links to the video, originally posted on the mosque's YouTube channel. The mosque issued a statement condemning Shaker Elsayed's remarks and stating that FGM is "prohibited in Islam as well as the laws of the land."[44][45]

Anwar al-Awlaki

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Main article: Anwar al-Awlaki

Anwar al-Awlaki was Imam at the mosque between January 2001 and April 2002.[46][47] He was popular with young people and was able to connect with the Muslim community of Northern Virginia.[4][48] Al-Awlaki was considered a moderate during his time at Dar Al-Hijrah, including publicly condemning the September 11 attacks and Al-Qaeda.[49] He was invited to speak at the United States Department of Defense and became the first imam to conduct a prayer service for the Congressional Muslim Staffer Association at the U.S. Capitol.[49][50][51]

He has since been accused of being a senior al-Qaeda recruiter linked to various terrorists, including three 9/11 hijackers, the accused Fort Hood shooter, and the accused Christmas Day 2009 bomber.[52][53] Six days after the September 11 attacks, he wrote on IslamOnline suggesting that Israeli intelligence agents might have been responsible for the attacks, and that the FBI "went into the roster of the airplanes and whoever has a Muslim or Arab name became the hijacker by default."[54] In 2003 House Intelligence Committee member Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA) described him as "more than a coincidental figure" in the attacks.[55] According to the Washington Post, board member Esam Omeish was involved in hiring al-Awlaki .[56][57] Omeish said in 2004 that he was convinced that al-Awlaki "has no inclination or active involvement in any events or circumstances that have to do with terrorism."[4]

Al-Awlaki resigned from Dar Al-Hijrah in early 2002 due to post-9/11 media attention that distracted the imam from his duties, according to the mosque's outreach director.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Census Block Map Seven Corners CDP Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on October 16, 2012.
  2. ^ "Contact Us Archived 2010-01-22 at the Wayback Machine." Dar Al-Hijrah. Retrieved on January 16, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Woodward, Tracy A. "Bid to close mosque viewed as bigotry Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine." The Washington Times. April 1, 1993. Retrieved on January 19, 2010. "Photo, The Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Seven Corners might be closed down by Fairfax County because of zoning violations."
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Caryle Murphy (September 12, 2004). "Facing New Realities as Islamic Americans". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  5. ^ Stewart, Nikita, "Muslims Find Room to Grow in D.C.'s Outer Suburbs", Archived 2018-02-16 at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post, August 1, 2005, accessed November 12, 2009
  6. ^ a b Goldberg, Jeffrey, Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror, pp. 286–87, Random House, Inc. (2008), ISBN 978-0-375-72670-5, accessed November 11, 2009
  7. ^ "The Congregation . Churches". www.PBS.org. Archived from the original on November 22, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c "Dar Al-Hijrah Celebrates 30 Years of Service". The Muslim Link. March 16, 2013. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Sperry, Paul (December 7, 2008). Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 9781418508425. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2019 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ a b Shane, Scott (2006). Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone. Tim Duggan Books/Random House. p. 64. ISBN 0804140316. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  11. ^ "Pamplin MBA alumnus leads FBI cybercops". www.vtnews.vt.edu. 2011. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  12. ^ Sheridan, Mary Beth (June 11, 2005). "Leader Named at Mosque; Falls Church Site Selects Activist". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  13. ^ Masters, Brook, "Sept. 11 witness languishes in jail; Volunteering information on hijackers led to lengthy incarceration," The Washington Post, May 5, 2002, accessed November 12, 2009
  14. ^ "Muslim Voters Meet Candidates, Officials at Picnic (washingtonpost.com)". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2017-08-26.
  15. ^ a b Sperry, Paul E. (2005). Infiltration: how Muslim spies and subversives have penetrated Washington. Thomas Nelson Inc. ISBN 978-1-59555-003-3. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  16. ^ "Mohammed Ali Al-Hanooti A Scholar of Islam 1937 - 2015". Islamic Horizons. July 1, 2015. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  17. ^ Lee, Umar (2020). In Malcolm's Path: A Journey Through Chaos. p. 52. ISBN 9781418508425.
  18. ^ For use in Friday PMs newspapers of July 29 and thereafter MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base
  19. ^ "Imam Johari Abdul-Malik Resigns From The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center". Archived from the original on 2019-12-25. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  20. ^ "Thousands of Muslims Celebrate Eid Al-Adha in US". Arab News. January 22, 2005. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  21. ^ Gamerman, Ellen (February 23, 2005). "Family, friends denounce charges against 'pious man'". pqarchiver.com. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 30, 2019.[dead link‍]
  22. ^ "Dao, James, and Lichtblau, Eric, "Case Adds to Outrage for Muslims in Northern Virginia", The New York Times, February 27, 2005, accessed December 7, 2009". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  23. ^ Mary Beth Sheridan (June 11, 2005). "Leader Named at Mosque". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  24. ^ "Guest CV, Shaker Elsayed". Islam Online. Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  25. ^ "Elsayed, Shaker". The American Muslim. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  26. ^ Jon Sawyer (December 4, 2005). "Muslims feel the pressure of terrorism crackdown". Pulitzer Center. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  27. ^ "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Home, About us, Constitution", accessed December 10, 2009 Archived January 22, 2010, at archive.today
  28. ^ "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Home, About us, Executive Committee", accessed December 10, 2009 Archived January 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Home, About us, Board of Directors", accessed December 10, 2009 Archived January 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ Constable, Pamela (June 13, 2008). "Va. Mosque Reaches Out, Joining Immigrant Fabric". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 13, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  31. ^ Daniel Hayes. "10 Cooks, 21,000 Dinners, 30 Nights". Muslim Link Paper. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29.
  32. ^ Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists Archived 2019-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, The Telegraph, November 7, 2009
  33. ^ Alleged Shooter Tied to Mosque of 9/11 Hijackers, The New York Times, November 8, 2009
  34. ^ Sperry, Paul E., Infiltration: how Muslim spies and subversives have penetrated Washington Archived 2014-07-04 at the Wayback Machine, Chapter 12: "The 9/11 Mosque: Dar al-Hijrah," p. 110, Thomas Nelson Inc (2005), ISBN 978-1-59555-003-3, accessed November 11, 2009
  35. ^ Thompson, Paul, The terror timeline: year by year, day by day, minute by minute : a comprehensive chronicle of the road to 9/11--- and America's response Archived 2014-07-04 at the Wayback Machine, p. 172, Harper Collins (2004), ISBN 978-0-06-078338-9, accessed November 12, 2009
  36. ^ Imam Johari Abdul-Malik (November 9, 2009). "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center Repudiates Prise for Fort Hood Killings". Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
  37. ^ "Report of the Joint Inquiry into the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001" (PDF). House Permanent Select Committee of Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence [redacted version]. December 2002. p. 178. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2008.
  38. ^ Dao, James, and Lichtblau, Eric, "Case Adds to Outrage for Muslims in Northern Virginia," Archived 2018-07-27 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, February 27, 2004, accessed November 11, 2009
  39. ^ "Conviction upheld in Bush assassination plot". CNN. June 6, 2008. Archived from the original on June 13, 2008.
  40. ^ Lichtblau, Eric, "American Accused in a Plot to Assassinate Bush," Archived 2015-02-08 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, February 23, 2005, accessed November 12, 2009
  41. ^ Eggen, Dan, and Markon, Jerry, "Hamas Leader, 2 Others Indicted; Justice Dept. Targets U.S. Fundraising for Militant Group," Washington Post, August 21, 2004; accessed December 7, 2009
  42. ^ "Transcript of Sentencing Proceedings," US v. Ashqar, November 21, 2007, accessed December 7, 2009
  43. ^ MEMRI [@MEMRIReports] (1 June 2017). "Shaker Elsayed, Imam of Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque in Fairfax County, VA, Endorses FGM: It Prevents Girls from Becoming H…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  44. ^ "Mosque condemns imam's comments on genital mutilation". The Washington Post. June 6, 2017. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  45. ^ Hauslohner, Abigail (June 5, 2017). "A Virginia imam said female genital mutilation prevents 'hypersexuality,' leading to calls for his dismissal". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 10, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  46. ^ Imam Johari Abdul-Malik (November 9, 2009). "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center Repudiates Praise for Fort Hood Killings". Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
  47. ^ Shane, Scott (2016). Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone. Tim Duggan Books/Random House. p. 63. ISBN 978-0804140317. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  48. ^ Shane, Scott (2006). Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone. Tim Duggan Books/Random House. p. 98. ISBN 0804140316. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  49. ^ a b Outcalt, Chris (August 2018). "The Long and Winding Case of Homaidan al-Turki". 5280. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  50. ^ Davidson, John (October 18, 2010). "Turning a Blind Eye to Terror". Human Events. Archived from the original on October 20, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  51. ^ Winter, Jana (April 7, 2010). "Some Muslims Attending Capitol Hill Prayer Group Have Terror Ties, Probe Reveals". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  52. ^ Meek, James Gordon (9 November 2009). "Fort Hood gunman 'is a hero', says Imam who preached to 9/11 hijackers in Va". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on 8 February 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  53. ^ "US imam wanted in Yemen over al-Qaida suspicions". Associated Press. November 10, 2009. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  54. ^ Schmidt, Susan; Imam From Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided Al-Qaeda Archived 2011-08-20 at the Wayback Machine; The Washington Post, February 27, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  55. ^ Shannon, Elaine; Burger, Timothy J.; Calabresi, Massimo (August 9, 2003). "FBI Sets Up Shop in Yemen". Time. Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  56. ^ ""The Great Al-Qaeda 'Patriot'", Assyrian International News Agency, April 9, 2007, accessed January 19, 2010". Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  57. ^ "Muslim Mafia". archive.is. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
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