Press Releases

01/08/2026

Entering a new chapter for Emgage: Statement from the Interim CEO

It is with humility and a deep sense of amana that I accept the role of Interim CEO for Emgage. I am grateful to the Board of Directors for their trust, and I am deeply honored to follow in the footsteps of leaders like Wa’el Alzayat, whose dedicated service over the past decade has strengthened our foundation and amplified our voice.

My commitment to Emgage’s mission is personal for me. From learning the values of service by my father’s side as a youth, to managing national organizing programs, I have seen firsthand the power of community and collective action. I enter this role with a clear focus: to ensure stability and continuity as we refine our strategic vision for 2026 and beyond.

As a Muslim, I am guided by the example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW, whose leadership was rooted in mercy, justice, care for all people, and met each moment with courage and compassion. He stood with the poor, protected the vulnerable, honored the dignity of workers, and insisted that leadership is a responsibility, not a privilege. I intend to lead with those same principles.
We are living through a pivotal moment in history. One where our community is once again being targeted simply for practicing our faith. It takes me back to my time as an MSA president, when I carried the fear of seeing students like me become targets on their own campuses. It brings me back to my childhood, watching my mother and father shoulder the weight of multiple jobs just to put food on the table for my siblings and I. I know the pressure families feel when they are denied SNAP and basic social support. I know what it means to be forced into an impossible choice between debt and dignity. I know the exhaustion and humiliation of navigating an immigration system that enforces its policies through the lens of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry. These are not policy abstractions, they are lived, daily realities that determine whether our people can breathe freely, dream fully, and live with self-respect.
This is why Emgage exists.

When I am asked, why Emgage? For almost a decade, I witnessed hope take shape in real time. Through the hard choices, unanswered doubts, and miles of doors knocked across our chapter states, I listened as people opened their homes and their hearts, sharing stories rooted in pain, resilience, and possibility. I saw young people discover their voice through our Emerging Leaders program, and Muslims who once felt unseen decide they would run for office and claim their place in shaping our future. I felt the power we built in those moments, the allies we collectively forged, the courage sparked, and the quiet shift when people realized they were no longer alone. That change wasn’t abstract. I felt it in living rooms, campaign offices, and conversations in masajid that consistently reminded me why this work matters and why I never walked away. We will continue to build on the momentum of the work that Emgage has done across the country. Our community’s voice in the halls of power has never been more important, and I am committed to ensuring Emgage remains a trusted, effective, and unifying advocate.

As interim CEO, my commitment is to lead with transparency, consultation (shura), and moral clarity. I do not claim to have all the answers, I will make mistakes along the way, but I do promise to listen, to act with integrity, and to walk alongside each of you as we meet this moment together inshallah. I am honored to serve alongside our dedicated staff, board, chapter leaders, and each of you—our supporters and partners. Together, we will honor the legacy of the last 20 years by building an even stronger, more impactful future.

Thank you for your trust. I am grateful to serve alongside you.

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