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since Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:04:17.
Bush Honors Quincy Imam
Boston--March 14, 2007--President Bush appointed Imam Talal Eid of Quincy, Massachusetts to the United States Commission on International Religious freedom, a bipartisan federal agency based in Washington, DC.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a US government agency created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. It monitors the state of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad according to the definition in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Commission gives independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress.
The USCIRF advises the US Department of State which countries it believes should receive designation as a Country of Particular Concern for violations of religious freedom. The Secretary of State is not obligated to follow the USCIRF recommendations.
Eid was born in 1951 in Lebanon. He studied at al-Azhar University in Cairo. In 2005, the Harvard Divinity School conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Theology.
Eid is Founder and Director of Religious Affairs at the Islamic Institute of Boston. He served as Imam at the Al-Nasir Mosque in Tripoli for seven years and as Imam and religious director of the Islamic Center of New England from 1983-2005. He currently serves as Muslim chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital and at Brandeis University.
The USCIRF's first Muslim Commissioner was UCLA law school professor Khaled M. Abou El Fadl. But Talal Eid is the first "cleric" on the Commission. TMO asked Imam Talal Eid to comment on his role in the Commission as a representative of Islam.
"In the mosque, the Imam is not the center, rather God/Allah, the Creator. The rabbi is a cleric, but his/her role is different than that of the priest. Even Christian clerics differ in their role toward their communities. And thus do the Imams."
Eid continued, "I am willing to engage people in dialogue. To have a dialogue with people of shared principles is important. But more important is to have dialogue with people who are different, probably very different. People should learn how to solve their social problems through dialogue. Hatred and violence can bring destruction and may cause tragedies and misery."
"The Commission's role is to suggest solutions to problems related to religious freedom to the best of my understanding and belief. I may not be able to solve the problems of the world, but I have to start somewhere."
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