OUR TEAM
Legislative and Political Director
Yasmine currently serves as Legislative and Political Director for MPower Change Action Fund. Yasmine fled Iran during the Iran-Iraq war and grew up undocumented before becoming a citizen, lawyer, and activist. In 2016, she became the first Muslim woman elected to the Democratic National Committee. Her passion for justice is reflected in her 15+ years of legislative experience, during which she worked on Capitol Hill; served as Senior Policy Counsel at Demand Progress advocating to end militarism at home and abroad and as a Senior Policy Counsel at the Center for Victims of Torture; has directed the Human Rights & Civil Liberties Program at the Friends Committee on National Legislation lobbying for increased resettlement of refugees, the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center, and repeal of the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs; and as a project manager at the Center for American Progress (CAP) where she co-authored “Fear, Inc. 2.0: The Islamophobia Network’s Efforts to Manufacture Hate in America,” among other roles. Yasmine's writings and commentaries have appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Hill, and HuffPost. Yasmine has been named three years in a row (2021-2023) as one of the Most Influential People in Washington, DC by Washingtonian Magazine. She holds a J.D. from the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, a Graduate Certificate in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida. Yasmine can be reached at yasmine@mpowerchange.org.
Operations Manager
Binita manages the day-to-day operations of MPower Change. She previously served as a fellow at Evergreen Strategy Group, where she conducted research and developed written materials for purpose-driven nonprofits. She has also worked with UNICEF’s Data & Analytics team and the Global Drug Policy Program at Open Society Foundations. A child of immigrants, Binita is deeply committed to social justice, philanthropy, and serving her communities. She holds an M.A. in International Affairs from The New School.
Executive Director
Linda is an award-winning racial justice and civil rights activist, community organizer, every Islamophobe's worst nightmare and mother of three. She is a Palestinian-Muslim-American born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is the former Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York and the co-founder of the first Muslim online organizing platform, MPower Change. Linda was one of the national co-chairs of the largest single day protest in US history, the Women’s March on Washington. She has been named amongst 500 of the most influential Muslims in the world. She has won numerous awards including Champion of Change from the Obama Administration. She was recognized as one of Fortune’s 50 Greatest Leaders and featured as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2017. Linda is a 2019 Roddenberry Fellow, and in 2020 released her highly anticipated book We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love & Resistance. She is a frequent media commentator on issues impacting Muslim communities, Middle East affairs and criminal justice reform, and most recognized for her transformative intersectional organizing work and movement building.
Campaign Director
Granate is a campaigner and communicator who brings over a decade of experience in social justice organizing and activism to her role at MPower Change. She’s worked with a variety of organizations, unions, and advocates including the Fight for $15, Kairos Fellowship, and served as Comms Director at Jewish Voice for Peace. A cat lover, the internet is still a fun place for Granate –– as well as a place to build and contend for power. Working for gender, economic, and racial justice is part of her family’s legacy from Korea, Russia, and NYC. Granate is in the Bay Area, a mom, swimmer, and kimchee maker.
Organizing Director
Ishraq has worked in faith-based and online organizing on both coasts of the United States. Prior to MPower Change, Ishraq was the Membership Manager at the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, where his love for urban cycling and advocacy for equitable mobility came together. He got his start in grassroots work through MAS Boston (the Muslim American Society of Boston), then organized with the Industrial Areas Foundation in Illinois, came back to New York and organized with New York Communities for Change on GOTV campaigns, tenant organizing, foreclosures, and school reform issues. He was 2016 Fellow with the New Leaders Council deepening his commitment to work towards a more inclusive city in Los Angeles. Ishraq previously served as a fellow and later a facilitator for Bend the Arc’s Community Organizing Residency program in 2011, a fellowship that trained and guided grassroots organizers at nonprofits nationwide. He was also a fellow at the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute in 2013, a program that trained Muslim leaders on effective leadership development and civic growth.
Field Organizer
Abdullah Akl is an experienced organizer and strategist residing in NYC. From organizing communities around “Get Out The Vote” efforts to making communities around NYC feel safer for young people, Abdullah has a passion to think of innovative ways to create positive change in his community and others. Abdullah has worked with The United Nations Children’s Fund, The Muslim American Society, MPower Change, The US House Of Representatives, The New York State Assembly, and other organizations and entities whose focus is bringing about change and making the world a better place. Abdullah has completed his Double Bachelors Degree in Political Science & International Relations at Long Island University (LIU) Brooklyn, and is now doing his Masters in Government at Harvard University.