the role of imams in the community

[HOPE]

Greetings and salam to all,

I find this article very interesting since I have never thought on the subject before.  I'd like to get your input  about the role of the imams in the West in 2015 should be.   Thanks,

Hope

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/altmuslim/2014/12/the-role-of-imams-in-the-american-muslim-community-a-growing-crisis/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=altmuslim_120614UTC021214_daily&utm_content=&spMailingID=47566694&spUserID=MTAxNzkwMTgzNTA5S0&spJobID=581078639&spReportId=NTgxMDc4NjM5S0

[Seraphina]

Dear sister Hope,
Assalamu alaikum
Thank you for this interesting article. Indeed it's a sensitive subject these days, for example in my country the imams are frequently under investigations for recruiting 'holy warriors' to help set free 'holy lands of Sham'. Those rare imams who hold a Quran-centric positions and besides in Islamic sciences are highly educated on other fields (for example exact sciences or medicine) are accused for blasphemy and are dubbed as kafir (same as ordinary people who maintain Quran-centric views). The point is that we really need well-educated, well-trained imams, with wide horizons of knowledge, who base their teaching primarily in the Quran, as the ultimate word of God for humanity.
We should never underestimate the role of the imams, because as the saying goes "If such are the priests, then God bless the congregation"
May God guide people towards understanding better His word and applying it to their everyday life, God willing.
Salam