[wvns] Bush Honors Massachusetts Imam

Bush Honors Quincy Imam
The Muslim Observer
http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?p=1017

Boston News--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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