The Islamic Society of Vermont has hired Abd’Llah Al-Ansari, a U.S. army veteran, prison chaplain and scholar of Arabic and Islamic studies, to be its new imam. Al-Ansari’s first day as ISVT imam is April 1.
Islam Hassan, the ISVT’s former imam, relocated to Ohio last summer.
Detroit-born Al-Ansari was one of three shortlisted candidates, said Yusuf Ali, head of the imam-hiring committee. The 10-member group includes ISVT president Taysir Al-Khatib, two women and two University of Vermont students.
The committee assessed the candidates on a number of criteria, such as their leadership skills, knowledge about Islam and ability to develop youth programs. It’s also essential that the imam has good interpersonal and communication skills in order to build relationships with other faith groups, Ali added.
ISVT members also had a say in Al-Ansari’s appointment. As part of the hiring process, he visited Vermont for a weekend and conducted a couple of programs for the community. Afterward, ISVT members completed a survey form. The hiring group then analyzed the results and submitted a recommendation to ISVT’s executive committee.
“He’s a good fit,” Ali said of Al-Ansari. He called the new imam a “modern thinker” and “good speaker” who can relate to both young and old.
A convert to Islam since 1992, when he was in his twenties, Al-Ansari is a PhD candidate in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University in Bloomington. He’ll be moving to Vermont from Columbia, S.C., where he’s been a senior Muslim chaplain with the Department of Corrections.
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As a former treasurer of ISVT, i would like to welcome the New Imam Abdullah Al Ansari who I liked the most among the two candidates and not three because the third one candidate never showed up to deliver a Friday sermon.
However , I believe the whole Imam committee was biased and unprofessional .
The Imam committee contains some members who lack FIKH (fundamental Islamic studies) and no experience in hiring Imam before .
I was in the Imam committee and they kick me out because I expressed myself and disagreed with some members in the hiring process. That was not islamic and not democratic.
The committee also involves kids who have no idea what are the conditions should be in a great Imam .
For the correction of this article: the executive member never had the chance to talk about the selected Imam or express their opinions and never looked at the survey notes or attended the counts of the survey .i was their in the meeting and basically Taysir just told the executive members we have selected the Imam . Let s us move on to the next point of the agenda .
So I dont think the Imam committee and the executive board respected the constitution.
Youness Jamil
Board of trustees