Conversations About Masjid Leadership: Finding the Right Imam

We’ve all seen the magazine ads that look something like:

Seeking well qualified Imam for our masjid in the middle of nowhere. New facility with 50 families. Seeking an Imam with the following qualifications:

• PhD. in Islamic Studies
• Bachelor’s from American university
• Fluent in English, Arabic, and Urdu
• Charismatic khateeb (preferably with lots of popular videos on YouTube)
• 15 years of Imam experience
• Can serve as principal of Islamic school
• Can increase youth involvement
• Teach children how to read Quran
• Teach Sunday School
• Perform weekly halaqahs
• Provide around the clock marital and family counseling
• Leads Tarawih with a voice that sounds like a CD recording
• Accounting, janitorial, and website building experience is a plus
• Superman cape is optional.

So what is a more realistic way to figure out who is qualified to be the masjid imam, or community leader? That’s the question we tackled inPart 2 of Conversations About Masjid Leadership – Finding the Right Imam [for Part 1, click here: The Role of the Masjid].

View the video below, and also make sure to check out the discussion at MuslimMatters as well on the same topic.

About Omar Usman

Omar Usman is a founding member of MuslimMatters, Qalam Institute, Muslim Strategic Initiative, and Debt Free Muslims. He is a regular khateeb and has served in different administrative capacities in various national and local Islamic organizations. You can follow him on Google+ or on Twitter @ibnabeeomar.

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