New imam joins mosque near Glen Ellyn
The new imam of a mosque near Glen Ellyn wants his community to know he's an approachable leader who's ready to reach out to others.
Mohammed Zafarullah says he's keeping an open-door policy at the Bait-ul-Jaamay Mosque for anyone interested in learning more about him or the Ahmadiyya Muslim community within Islam. The 59-year-old is easily reachable on Facebook. And he's already lining up meetings with other religious leaders and neighbors over coffee.
"I am ready to serve them," said the married father of four and grandfather of three.
Zafarullah most recently served as the imam of a mosque about 40 miles from Los Angeles, but his missionary duties covered Southern California and Las Vegas. His send-off last month drew lawmakers who issued a special congressional recognition in his honor and Buddhist leaders from the Compassionate Service Society who posted a farewell message on Facebook.
"His passion and dedication to community and peace across religions are his shining light for all of us to emulate," the post read. "Even though it was a night of tributes for Imam, he instead humbly thanked others, asked for forgiveness for any errors he may have made ... He truly puts others first before himself."
In the Glen Ellyn area, Zafarullah intends to foster connections with members of other faiths, building on the work of his predecessor, Imam Shamshad Nasir, who moved to Detroit. Zafarullah also is focused on helping young Muslims represent the "true teachings of Islam."
"They are going to be the ambassadors for promoting peace and setting an example for the world to recognize them," Zafarullah said.
He graduated in 1982 from the Jamia Ahmadiyya missionary training seminary in Pakistan and went on to serve various parts of the country for eight years until he was transferred to Sierra Leone in 1991.
Zafarullah led the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in West Africa for six years as an imam and missionary and also held teaching and administrative positions at an Ahmadiyya secular secondary school, according to a news release Tuesday.
In 1996, he returned to Pakistan for two years to work at the community's headquarters in the city of Rabwah. About three year later, Zafarullah arrived in the U.S.
As the community's South regional missionary, he headed outreach efforts in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana until he became imam of the mosque in California in summer 2014.