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American imams to be trained in the UAE
By Samir Salama, Bureau Chief
gulfnews.com
Abu Dhabi: A number of American mosque imams will be trained in Islamic philosophy at the Zayed House for Islamic Culture in Al Ain, an American Muslim intellectual said.
"The UAE was selected because it is a unique example of a tolerant multi-cultural society and a cosmopolitan nation that has held on to traditional Islamic values. American imams will feel very comfortable being trained in the UAE," Khalid Abu Bakr Ahmad, President of the National Congress of American Muslim Youth, told Gulf News.
He said the American imams will be trained in the UAE because there is no facility to train American imams in the US.
"There are no specific qualifications for becoming an imam in the US. The imams' training will focus on moderate Islamic ideology, Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) for Muslims in non-Muslim countries, Islamic Family Law [inheritance, divorce, child custody] and principles of Islamic banking and finance."
Mansoor Al Minhali, chairman of the Zayed House for Islamic Culture, said he was extremely happy that the house will provide training to the American Imams.
"The Zayed House for Islamic Culture, thanks to the continuous support of the UAE leaders, endeavours to promote tolerance and co-existence among Muslims and non-Muslims."
The president of the Washington-based cong-ress said the primary objective of the programme is to educate the imams in Islamic ideology.
"The imams will be equipped with knowledge to spread Islam's universal message of peace and tolerance to their respective communities. They will also be equipped with tools needed to engage in meaningful inter-faith dialogue," he said.
Khalid believes all Muslims have a role to play to defend Islam against an anti-Muslim bias. "Every Muslim has a divine obligation to be an 'ambassador' of the Prophet (PBUH)."
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