Questions answered in "Albany mosque has new imam"

Marc Parry's article in the Times Union answered a lot of questions about the mosque on Central Ave in Albany. Since I do not know much about mosques, I learned a lot of information. First of all, I did not know what a chaplain was or that they even existed in prisons. One of the questions the article answered was what happened to the previous imam at the Masjid As-Salam mosque. The previous leader is currently in prison for his support of a fake terrorist plot. This happened two years ago, and the mosque has not had an official imam since. Elmi is a part-time imam, meaning that the mosque still needs a permanent replacement. Through this article, I also learned some of the types of people that worship at this mosque. The Masjid As-Salam has members that were once inmates, making Elmi a helpful tool to transition back into society. The article also did a good job at explaining Elmi's background and life previous to accepting the job as a part-time imam. I thought it was interesting that he has a degree in agriculture yet became a prison chaplain. I also thought it was selfless how he taught Islam for free at mosques that lacked teachers. Another question that the article answered were Elmi's plans for the mosque now that he is the new imam. He plans to furnish the mosque, hire teachers, and make it possible for women to view the services. I thought it was an interesting article that gave the reader the ability to learn a lot about a little known subject in our culture.