imam:
(the letter ‘i’ rhymes with the letter ‘i’ in “ink”)
Grand Imam Al Azhar, Ahmed El-Tayeb
a Muslim priest or prince;
a man who leads/conducts prayers in a mosque (Muslims’ place of worship);
a person who studies Muslim/Islamic law,
a village imam (L) naming a new-born baby, Thailand
One of my friends boasts that his grandfather was an imam having his roots going back to one of the twelve imams that descended from Prophet Mohammed.
Like a priest or pastor, an imam must be very pious and conduct himself with dignity as he is responsible for not only conducting the prayers but also guiding the community in religious activities.
There are imams in the Western countries emigrating mostly from Egypt, Pakistan and Bangladesh to lead the Muslim communities in a proper Islamic way.
It is unfortunate to learn about scandalous imams who misuse their privileges by indulging themselves in illicit sexual activities, illegal businesses and trying to instil radical and anti-government philosophy in the minds of their wards!
