We, the undersigned members of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), demand the immediate removal of President Emran Gazi and General Secretary Muhammad Ali and real governance reform that gives our communities a voice in the decisions that affect them.

WHAT HAPPENED:

In April 2026, Sheikh Dr. Abdurrahman Hejazi was pushed out of Masjid Assalam by the Executive Board. His khutbahs were restricted and three weeks of community programs were canceled. When he spoke candidly from the minbar about the new administration, they called it "misuse of the minbar." When the stress of Ramadan under this pressure forced him to take mental health days, they held that against him too.

When the time came to make a decision, the vast majority of the zonal council opposed his removal. It didn't matter. The Executive Board overrode them, pushed the decision through, and informed Sheikh Hejazi of his termination. Council members who objected were bullied, dismissed, and in some cases threatened with removal from their own positions for speaking up. Zonal council members and the broader community have demanded clarity on what happened and why. The Executive Board has shown no interest in addressing it. Instead they're dodging the issue entirely and refusing to engage with the people who are actually asking the questions.

Nobody in the community was consulted. The Associate Director at Maryam Islamic Center, where Sheikh Hejazi serves as resident scholar in a part-time capacity alongside his full-time role at Champions, only found out after the decision was already made. Even the leaders at centers directly affected by this are being kept in the dark while the Executive Board and General Secretary make decisions behind closed doors.

This is not new. Imam Farooqui was forced out of Maryam Islamic Center in February, right before the holy month of Ramadan after nearly 4 years of dedicated service, again without meaningful consultation with the zonal council and against the wishes of the congregation. Since his departure, community members say the experience at MIC has deteriorated significantly. Every time: no transparency, no consultation, no accountability. The community is always last to know. And this is only the beginning that any imam who dares to speak up for themselves, their community, or the deen will be next. And it is already happening. Imams who deviate from the preferred script or speak on topics the administration finds inconvenient are quietly replaced.

THE DEEPER PROBLEM:

Community members at multiple centers have been raising concerns for a long time. About who gets invited to speak at major events like Eid, about leadership turning our sacred gatherings into photo ops, about leaders who care more about how they look to the city of Houston than about the actual communities they were elected to serve. Entire zones have raised objections again and again and been met with nothing but silence and arrogance.

ISGH is not a platform for personal ambition. It exists to serve the Muslim community of Houston, including our brothers and sisters suffering abroad. When leadership invites speakers the community has repeatedly objected to, ignores those objections, and turns our most sacred gatherings into opportunities for self-promotion, they have demonstrated who they are truly serving. And it is not us.

What we demand:

1. PRESIDENT EMRAN GAZI AND GENERAL SECRETARY MUHAMMAD ALI NEED TO GO. Under them, scholars have been silenced, council members bullied and threatened, and the community treated like an afterthought. Three scholars gone. Zonal councils overridden. Elected representatives intimidated into keeping quiet. We've seen enough.

2. An independent investigation into the AD, zonal director, and EB members involved in the removals of both Sheikh Dr. Hejazi and Imam Farooqui.
3. Amend the bylaws so the Executive Board can no longer unilaterally terminate imams and scholars without zonal council approval. Any decision to remove an imam must require documented cause shared with the community, a formal appeals process accessible to both the scholar and the congregation, and an encouraged community town hall at the affected center.
4. A public explanation for the removals of Sheikh Hejazi and Imam Farooqui.
5. Bylaw reform so ADs cannot override an imam's programming or restrict khutbahs so long as the zonal council has approved by a majority vote.

YOU CAN ACT NOW! Don't just sign this petition. We must as a community speak up:

Email the Executive Board: Eb@isgh.org
Call ISGH leadership:

• Emran Gazi (President): 713-562-8143
• Muhammad Ali (Gen. Secretary): 832-265-6023
• Mohiuddin Syed (VP): 832-248-1844
• Imran Nathani (Treasurer): 281-853-6471
• M. Usman Khan (North Zone Director): 901-857-1052 | dir.nz@isgh.org

Champions community:

• Abdurrehman Ansari (AD): 210-527-7645 | ad.champions@isgh.org
• Council: Council.Champions@isgh.org

Maryam Islamic Center community:

• Zonal: zonal@maryammasjid.org
• Associate Director: ad.newterritory@isgh.org

Your message is simple: Halt the decision. Consult the community. Respect our scholars.
We fund these masajid. We fill these prayer halls. We deserve a voice.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock." We are asking our shepherds at ISGH to remember who their flock is, and to be accountable to them.

#ReformISGH #AccountabilityForISGH