9 Ways to Expand the Role of Imams in America

Youth Development & Education

Imams should focus on youth development and education. This means being accessible to youth — from elementary to middle to high school to college students. With the immense pressure of Islamophobia, anti-intellectualism, and anti-religious sentiment in the U.S., it is important that imams are accessible and pro-actively engaging with youth. Imams should visit schools to establish positive relationships with local school administrations and administrators to act as a resource for teachers and administrators who may need resources of how to ensure that Muslim students are adequately accommodated and protected from bullying and potential hate crimes.

Lastly, we should mention that many imams and scholars may not be able to take on the above roles, responsibilities or duties due to their lack of training, understanding, personality or simply may not feel it is their role in the community. However, if we want to get serious about community-building, imams must get additional training and certification and work to develop these additional skills to help build the communities they’re a part of.

The addition of these roles, responsibilities and duties must be adequately compensated based on the community’s ability to pay the imam. This includes a decent salary with bonus opportunities, healthcare packages and perks that allow the imam to feel appreciated and allows for career/professional growth.

What did I miss? Comment below on what you’d like to see imams take on in our masjids.

Saud Inam is a Muslim American activist, social entrepreneur, blogger and Project Manager for Discover Islam-USA a Muslim American media company dedicated to producing high quality media about Islam and Muslims. He is a columnist for Altmuslim. Saud is always on the lookout for more opportunities to help empower the Muslim American community.