Bay Area Muslim Council 2nd Annual Banquet

Bay Area Muslim Council's 2nd Annual Banquet was held on Saturday, October 3, 2026 at the Santa Clara Marriott. The event featured Four Leaders at the Forefront of Advancing Justice: 
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.  Congresswoman Aisha Wahab.  Ryan Grim of Drop Site News.  Imam Tahir Anwar.

"Serving with Faith. Leading with Justice. Now more than ever."

We were joined by leaders who are at the forefront of advancing justice.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is now serving her fifth term in Congress representing Washington’s 7th District (Seattle and surrounding areas). She is the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Congresswoman Jayapal is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where she serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. She also serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she serves on the Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia. Additionally, she serves on the House Budget Committee. She is a Chair Emerita of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Congresswoman Aisha Wahab started her elected career from Hayward City Council, to the California State Senate, and now to the halls of Congress. Her journey has been one of historic firsts and public service. She was sworn into the U.S. House on September 2, 2026 becoming the first Afghan American elected to Congress.

Drop Site News' Ryan Grim is one of independent media’s most influential voices. He is an ward-winning investigative journalist, bestselling author, Drop Site News co-founder and Breaking Points co-host Ryan Grim joins us at BAMC’s Second Annual Banquet.

Imam Tahir Anwar has been a pioneer in Muslim civic service, appointed to the City of San Jose's Human Rights Commission, and later the Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission. He has served as Imam of the South Bay Islamic Association since 2000.

We brought together community leaders, advocates, supporters, and families to celebrate another year of civic engagement and community building. The evening highlighted BAMC’s work across the Bay Area, recognized community contributions, and looked ahead to the future of Muslim civic leadership and advocacy.

Our 1st Annual Banquet was held on October 4, 2025 where we BAMC welcomed more than 500 members of our community, and featured keynote speakers Mehdi Hasan, Josh Paul and Congresswoman Lateefah Simon.