A large American mosque with several imams may hire an assistant imam who has just completed training, but most mosques typically require imams to have at least two years of experience.
An imam who is employed at an American mosque should have good English skills, a thorough understanding of U.S. culture, and the ability to work with people of different cultures and backgrounds. Seventy-eight percent of full-time paid, American imams were born and educated outside the United States, mostly in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and India, according to the Islamic Society of North America and North American Islamic Trust. Muslim organizations report that many of these foreign-born imams have a difficult time connecting with their congregants who were born in the U.S., but, often times, have immigrated from a wide array of countries and cultures.
Younger American Muslims increasingly want their imams to not just be scripture readers, but serve a variety of other needs of the community. Imams are expected to be “marriage counselor, youth director, scholar, and fundraiser,” according to Edgar Hopida, past-spokesman for the Islamic Society of North America in an interview with the Wall Street Journal about the career of imam. “Like the local priest, they’re put into this role of community leader.”
Other important traits for imams include patience, compassion, kindness, and wisdom, as well as strong leadership, organizational, and time-management skills. In addition to personal and professional skills, imams must have extensive knowledge of the Quran and Haditha, among other religious texts.