Dear CAIR-Philadelphia Community,
We are deeply grateful for the overwhelming show of support for CAIR-Philadelphia’s 18th Annual Fundraising Banquet which took place on Saturday February 22, 2025, at Eden Gardens.
We walked into this banquet with a number of challenges. Islamophobic pressure on our former venue caused a curveball shortly before our banquet but, alhamdulillah, we found a welcoming venue at Eden Gardens, a project of Delaware Valley Muslims. Despite additional Islamophobic pressure and a protest near our venue, we completed a banquet that hosted more than 800 Muslims, interfaith allies, and friends.
During that evening, our community generously donated and pledged support to get close to 60% of our goal to raise $400,000 through the end of Ramadan. As you review our banquet recap below, please remember to support our work for justice by donating to our programs:
View Banquet Photo Gallery · Watch Banquet Videos · Read 2024 Impact Report
We started with our reception, where our sponsors and vendors engaged with our community. Following prayers at the beautiful prayer hall, the program commenced with Qur’an recitation delivered beautifully by Islamic Academy of Delaware student Mohamed Amin and a reflection on the verses by CAIR-Philadelphia Board Member Iftekhar Hussain.
Delaware State Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton (our MC) welcomed the audience noting CAIR-Philadelphia’s critical civil rights and advocacy work across Pennsylvania and Delaware. She then facilitated a fireside chat with Dr. Marc Lamont Hill and Amer Zahr that covered the importance of CAIR in navigating a difficult year in terms of our civil rights, and the ongoing political challenges facing our communities. Needless to say, we need your support for all this!
The “Dream Big: CAIR-Philadelphia in 2024 and Beyond” video, produced by Ibrahim Souadda/Sahara Services, summarized CAIR-Philadelphia’s legal victories and expanded services in 2024. This inspirational video captured our vision to serve our communities more as we look toward our next 20 years.
Next, two of our Advisory Board members, Amirah Rashid and Saad Afzal shared their personal stories to inspire our community to donate and support CAIR-Philadelphia’s critical work.
The night ended on a high note with Amer Zahr‘s amazing stand-up comedy.
As we start preparing for our next banquet, we also made note of some of the challenges we experienced this year; please complete our Banquet Survey to help us improve your experience.
Once again, thank you to our community, our sponsors, and our hosts at Eden Gardens.
In solidarity,
CAIR-Philadelphia Staff and Board Members
