﷽
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided."
قَالَ لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۖ يَغْفِرُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
“[Yusuf] said, “There is no blame on you today. May Allah forgive you! He is the Most Merciful of the merciful!”
The full Board of Directors election is complete.
Complete your membership form here.
Download a copy of the signed bylaws here.
Update 5/14/2026: Our primary objective of holding a fair and open election is now complete. JazakumAllah Khayran for all of you who participated. The ongoing fitnah has taken its toll on our community, and we can all feel it. The newly elected board of directors is listed below.
However, everything is tied up in multiple court cases at the Clark County Superior and District Courts. Ilyas Mohammed Siddiqui, the former board president, maintains control of the ISSWW bank accounts and refuses to allow them to be inspected. He also unilaterally assigned himself as the registered agent with the Washington Secretary of State, effectively giving himself ownership of ISSWW.
Since November 2025, Ilyas has ignored the fact that his board was dissolved, he appointed two of his friends to empty spots on the board of directors, he has made his own limited member list and held an “Annual General Meeting” at an off-site location, where he convinced a limited number of members that the trustees are no longer valid. He then appointed his own trustees with a half-filled “majlis shura,” which included some non-Members. This illegitimate body elected 3 trustees of their own. All of these actions were illegitimate and based on an extremely flawed reading of the bylaws.
Here is the list of court cases:
Ilyas vs. The Trustees - ongoing
The Trustees vs. Ilyas - ongoing
Izzat Dweik vs. Ilyas (restraining order) - complete
Ilyas vs. Shirin & Alex - ongoing
Ilyas vs. Alex (restraining order) - complete
Watch this page for updates and pray that our community reaches stability soon. We ask Allah to grant us his forgiveness and mercy.
Election Results
Given below are the final results of ISSWW Board of Directors elections for your information and records.
Sariang Marong: 135 votes
Khalid Elolaimi: 43 votes
Amir Kurta: 135 votes
Shirin Elkoshairi: 155 votes
Abdoulay Bah: 134 votes
Suleman Saleh: 98 votes
Mbye Jagne: 141 votes
Alex Arrick: 158 votes
So, the two candidates who did not make the cut are:
Khalid Elolaimi
Suleman Saleh
Respectfully submitted by:
Khalid Khan
Trustee, ISSWW
PS: This election was done in two phases on 5/2/26 and 5/9/26 at Masjid AlNoor.
PPS: Jazaak Allah Khair to all the brothers involved in this process for the sake of our Muslim community!
Board of Directors Bios
Sariang Marong
Mr. Sariang Marong brings over 5 years of experience in nonprofit management and fundraising to New World International. He is known for his ability to build partnerships and facilitate community engagement. Sariang successfully led several Community Engagement events within Clark County that distributed over $150,000 in various wrap-around services such as free groceries, blankets, rent assistance, free mobile clinic, free education mentorship program for the Afghan community in 2023 and 2024. His background in board governance and strategic planning has been invaluable in shaping New World International’s new 3-year strategic plan. Sariang is a strong advocate for equality, cultural and community inclusion, and currently serves as the Chairperson of New World International a community-based 501 c(3) organization.
Amir Kurta
Amir has been part of the Vancouver Muslim community since 1998. He studied Accounting at Washington State University Vancouver and has built a professional background across accounting, tax, automotive sales, and exotic car technical work.
His experience includes working as an accountant at Fisher Investments in Camas, Washington, and in tax at Schwindt & Co. in Portland, Oregon. Through these roles, Amir has developed a strong understanding of financial responsibility, organization, and accountability.
Amir also brings nonprofit-related experience through the accounting and tax work he has done in prior roles. He understands the importance of careful financial oversight and making decisions that serve the long-term interest of the community.
Amir believes in doing what is right, even under pressure. He is committed to making thoughtful, principled decisions for the benefit of the Masjid and the community it serves.
Shirin Elkoshairi
Shirin Elkoshairi has been a member of the ISSWW community since 2015 and has served on the ISSWW Board as both Secretary and President. He brings a record of steady leadership, thoughtful service, and long-standing commitment to the community.
Shirin holds a degree in Social Sciences from Washington State University and works as a computer consultant with a local consulting firm.
In his volunteer roles, Shirin's nonprofit and civic work has spanned local and national advocacy on Muslim and Progressive issues. He has served as a local political party chair, campaign manager, and community activist, with a focus on supporting people experiencing economic hardship, those exiting the carceral system, and those unfairly targeted by the legal system. Prior to moving to Vancouver, he served as Vice President of the ADAMS (All Dulles Area Muslim Society) Center in Sterling, Virginia, where he was Co-Chair of Media Relations.
Shirin also served as Chair of the La Center Planning Commission, helping shape zoning policy and guide the city's approach to growth.
Abdoulay Bah
Abdoulay currently serves as the president of the ISSWW Sunday School and regularly leads Salah at ISSWW.
Mbye Jagne
Mbye has been part of the community since 2007. He works as a process engineering technician for the microprocessing chip manufacturer JIREH, where he has been employed since 2004. He serves as a community leader, officiating weddings and naming ceremonies, and regularly leads Friday prayer at Masjid Noor, Masjid Madina, and the Muslim Community Center of Portland. He is also the Assistant Imam at the Muslim Community Center of Portland and helps teach children at the Sunday school at Masjid Noor.
Alex Arrick
Alex has been part of ISSWW for 11 years, where he has previously served on the board of directors, contributed to the Dawah committee, and worked as both a teacher and a volunteer. He converted to Islam 18 years ago, while in high school. He currently serves as President of Columbia River Zakat. He works in digital marketing and advertising.
Key Resources
Watch the announcement of the Board of Trustees dissolving the Board of Directors on 10-31-2025 here.
Watch the December 6 community information session here.
Listen to the January community information session here.
Sign the petition to condemn the unauthorised lawsuit filed by Ilyas Siddiqui, the former BOD president, against the trustees.
See the outline of case filings here. Case Number: 25-2-04129-06— Clark County Superior Court, WA
Read the threatening letter sent to the web admin of this site by Ilyas Siddiqui’s lawyer, attempting to stifle community engagement and transparent dissemination of information to promote community involvement of this member organization.
Ilyas claims it’s not a lawsuit. Feel free to read the entire case file and decide for yourself.
Ilyas’ fake board passed a “resolution“ to ban his political enemies from the Masjid. Even the parking lot! We will continue to go to the Masjid. We don’t care about this because his board was dissolved in October.
We’ll post more case files here as they come through. The legal process is ongoing.
What Happened
On October 31, 2025, the ISSWW Board of Directors fell below the minimum quorum required to conduct official business. Under the ISSWW bylaws (13.6), a Board that cannot meet quorum is unable to hold valid meetings, make decisions, or oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization. This leaves ISSWW without a functioning governing body.
In accordance with the bylaws, the existing Board of Trustees has made this announcement during a special meeting, after Jum’ah prayer on October 31, 2025.
ISSWW Leadership Structure
ISSWW is governed by a three-tier system called the Majlis Shura, which includes:
1. Board of Trustees
3 members, serving 6-year terms
Elected by a 2/3 vote of the Majlis Shura
Provides long-term stability and oversight
2. Board of Directors
6 members, serving 4-year terms
Elected directly by the general body members
Responsible for operational and day-to-day leadership
Quorum: 3 members (Bylaws 8.0)
3. Standing Committees
8 committees, with 3 voting members each (24 members total)
Appointed by the Board of Directors
Handle specialized areas of community work (Dawah, Education, Long-Term Planning, etc.)
Together, these groups form the Majlis Shura, the overall steering body of ISSWW. For Majlis Shura decisions, such as appointing new trustees or dissolving the organization, quorum is 50%, including at least 2 Trustees and 3 Directors (Bylaws 21.6 & 21.12.3). Votes must reach a ⅔ majority to be passed.
The Former Board of Directors
Cheikh Ibrahim Soumare – Resigned July 6, 2024 (vacancy was not replaced)
Alex Arrick - Resigned January 15, 2025 (vacancy was not replaced)
Muhammad Riaz - Resigned October 30, 2025
Mohanned Qandil - Resigned October 31, 2025
Ahmed Qayoumi - Resigned during a board meeting in October 2025. No meeting minutes were recorded or published.
Ilyas Mohammed Siddiqui - Did not resign, and pretends that his board wasn’t dissolved. He then appointed two of his allies (one of whom is his cousin) unilaterally to the “zombie board.” He also pretended Qayoumi didn’t resign, even though there are two eyewitnesses.
On the Validity of the Existing Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees serves six-year terms and must be either a founding member of ISSWW or, in the absence of founding members, a member with at least ten years of involvement (Bylaws 12.1 & 12.5). The legitimacy of the current trustees was reaffirmed by the Majlis Shura when they voted to appoint a new trustee on September 20, 2025.
Recently, a former member of the Board of Directors questioned the validity of the Board of Trustees, suggesting they should have been replaced years ago. However, since the current trustees were signatories of the bylaws in 2020, their terms are properly established and remain valid until 2026 according to multiple lawyers’ opinions. The Majlis Shura has not replaced any trustees prior to September 2025, nor did the Board of Directors initiate any replacement process until that date.
To replace a trustee, a 2/3 vote of the Majlis Shura is required – a body which is currently not at quorum and therefore has no authority to act according to the bylaws (12.1). For context, the committees that complete the Majlis Shura have been inactive since January 2020, only to be recreated for a short time in September 2025. The Majlis Shura is also under quorum as it requires 3 directors present for any action.
It is also important to note that if the trustees were deemed invalid, the Board of Directors itself would also be invalid, as the trustees oversee the Board of Directors elections – including those held in 2024. Therefore, the current Board of Trustees must be considered legitimate, and their oversight of ISSWW governance is fully authorized.
Dua
We ask Allah to protect our community from fitnah and division, to unite our hearts, and to guide us to act with justice and wisdom. May He safeguard ISSWW and keep our Masjid a place of harmony and trust.