Dar al-Hijrah Mosque

FALLS CHURCH, VA - AUGUST 12:Bassam Estwani, 74, gives a Ramadan sermon at the Dar al-Hijrah Mosque (DAH) on Aug 12, 2011, in Falls Church, VA. Estwani, a U.S. citizen from Syria, is a former board chairman of DAH and one of the early founders of DAH who led the community during its 10-year effort to build a masjid, or mosque. The mosque's name literally means "land of migrants" or "home of migrants." Every Friday, worshippers from over 35 countries pack into the prayer hall. It began with a fledging group of Arabic college students in the 1980's, looking for an alternative to the only large mosque in the DC area at the time -- the Islamic Center in Northwest Washington -- because it was tightly controlled by the embassies of Muslim countries. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)