Houston imams form association to strengthen ties and share knowledge
Serving as an imam in the U.S. comes with challenges and opportunities.
While in some majority-Muslim nations, a ministry dictates who serves a mosque, U.S. congregations often choose their own leaders. Imams who have emigrated from abroad might find different traditions and rituals, as well as various nationalities in their mosques, especially in a sprawling, diverse city such as Houston.
It can be a lot to navigate, said local physician Danish Hasan, who serves on the steering committee for the recently launched Houston Imams Association, along with Salman Ghani and Arsalan Safiullah.
“Houston is big enough and diverse enough,” he said. “We have every ethnicity and people from every place — Somalia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Central Asia, as well as Latinos, African-American and white Muslims.”
An imam must be prepared to represent, counsel and provide spiritual guidance for a variety of populations. Hasan had been discussing how best to serve everyone in the city with friends Shariq Ghani and Salman Ghani (no relation).
In his career in the medical field, Hasan found great benefit from a number of professional associations. That’s the kind of group he wanted to build for imams, one that could offer support and become an exchange for best practices. At the same time, a professional association could unite the faith leaders to deal with important issues and to deliver outreach.
“We were just hanging out, and the idea popped up. There are other cities with this type of organization,” Hasan said. “We decided it was something we needed here.”
Hasan was confident only the imams themselves would know what structure would best suit them.
“If there’s someone able to get a pulse for the community, it’s the imam,” he said. “They have a broad view of what’s needed, what’s critical and what should be addressed. The best thing that we could do is get everyone at the same table.”
Hasan and Shariq Ghani went to work inviting imams for a first meeting in October. At that time, the group decided to move forward and officially launch as the Houston Imams Association in February.
“Our initial idea was just to get everybody together,” Hasan said. “I think it will take on its own meaning as more imams join.”
Already, more than 30 imams — of different ages, nationalities and backgrounds — have become a part of the association, examining other networking models across the country. They are starting conversations and forming friendships.
Imam Ahmad Siddiqi at the Kingwood Islamic Center is one of the founding members. “We were missing this in Houston for a very long time,” he said.
He explained that having an association can shorten the distance between mosques. As a younger imam, he is especially eager to learn from Houston’s older leaders.
“It will provide a strong platform for the community as a whole,” he said. “It will benefit the Imams serving the community, facing different challenges.”
Imam Daniel Hernandez, from the Pearland Islamic Center, agreed.
“I believe that collaborative effort is the way to move forward,” said Hernandez, who says the association will help strengthen faith while building interfaith relations and civic engagement. “It’s all about finding the wisdom beyond our differences to move forward.”
Hernandez added that the association will be invaluable in helping imams feel less isolated, which often happens as they focus on serving their congregations.
“A lot of times, clergy are out on their own,” he said. “They serve a big congregation, but who supports them? Sometimes, imams can become overwhelmed. This association can help us vent and discuss issues.”
It’s important to him that the association is inclusive. “We’re trying to come together. We have differences, but we respect that. We come together for a common cause, stand together,” he said. “Imams are typically men, but we believe there is room for women as leaders.”
Safiya Ravat, female religious director at Maryam Islamic Center, is the founding member of the women’s group. Growing up, she did not have a lot of female role models.
“As Muslims, the majority of our religious leaders are male,” said Ravat, who is 29.
Ravat is now involved in teaching classes, offering spiritual advice and developing social programming. “The imam and I work together as a team, to take care of the different demographics in our mosque,” she said. “It’s just been an incredible ride. It’s extremely fulfilling.”
The Houston Muslim community can re-establish values and bring people back to the mosque, Ravat said.
The organization will also focus on advocacy, education and professional development.
Imam Nisar ul-Haq at ASIA Center, another founding member of the association, also serves as a professor at the University of Houston, teaching comparative religion courses. He is particularly interested in ways the association can aid in the exchange of knowledge as the group grows.
“It will be beneficial for everybody,” he said. “Everybody’s experience is different; everybody’s education and background is different. That really makes us all, when we come together at the end of the day, more knowledgeable and more equipped to help our community.”
Ul-Haq hopes more imams will take a seat at the table.
“This is just the beginning,” he said. “We imams should study how modern issues can be handled in a way that our youth and our next generations can keep and practice our faith — and at the same time, be the best citizens in the U.S. as possible. This is a good forum for that. This is how we can all learn.”