HOW DOES HE MANAGE? IMAM

摘要

I've been an imam officially since 2003, but unofficially since I was 15. I was born into a family of scholars: my father, my grandfather and my great-grandfather did this, and at 10 I had memorised the whole Koran, so it was a suitable path. I have to be sociable and a good speaker. An imam is a leader in the community. I have to help people solve all types of problems: psychological, family and financial. I lead five daily prayers and run courses in Islamic education, leadership and team-building. We're establishing a gym at the mosque. In Islington there are about 15,000 Muslims. People like Abu Hamza have done a lot of damage to the community, but now we're more engaged, and people want to come to the mosque. When I arrived here a year ago, there were about 50 people coming. Now on Fridays we get 1,000 people, sometimes 2,500. People just need to feel secure.