Cross post to thread in GD with NYT article about an Egyptian imam in NY.

Here's the GD thread link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=579950&mesg_id=582226

And here's a direct link to the NYT article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/nyregion/05imam.html?pagewanted=6&ei=5094&en=393141e1d285f33f&hp&ex=1141621200&partner=homepage

It's a great article, and I would be interested in hearing a response to it from an American Muslim's perspective.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/nyregion/05imam.html
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"America transformed me from a person of rigidity to flexibility," said Mr. Shata, speaking through an Arabic translator. "I went from a country where a sheik would speak and the people listened to one where the sheik talks and the people talk back."

This is the story of Mr. Shata's journey west: the making of an American imam.

Over the last half-century, the Muslim population in the United States has risen significantly. Immigrants from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa have settled across the country, establishing mosques from Boston to Los Angeles, and turning Islam into one of the nation's fastest growing religions. By some estimates, as many as six million Muslims now live in America.

Leading this flock calls for improvisation. Imams must unify diverse congregations with often-clashing Islamic traditions. They must grapple with the threat of terrorism, answering to law enforcement agents without losing the trust of their fellow Muslims. Sometimes they must set aside conservative beliefs that prevail in the Middle East, the birthplace of Islam.

Islam is a legalistic faith: Muslims believe in a divine law that guides their daily lives, including what they should eat, drink and wear. In countries where the religion reigns, this is largely the accepted way.

But in the West, what Islamic law prohibits is everywhere. Alcohol fills chocolates. Women jog in sports bras. For many Muslims in America, life is a daily clash between Islamic mores and material temptation. At the center of this clash stands the imam.