Black Imam shows Islamic equality

CAIRO: With a deep baritone voice while reciting the Qur'an, Sheikh Adil Kalbani, the black imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Islam's holiest shrine, gives an example of equality in the Islamic faith. "Any qualified individual, no matter what his color, no matter where from, will have a chance to be a leader, for his good and his country's good," Kalbani told US media on Saturday, April 11.Credited for his angelic recitation of the Noble Quran, Kalbani, 49, was chosen by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz to lead millions of Muslim worshippers in the Grand Mosque."The king is trying to tell everybody that he wants to rule this land as one nation, with no racism and no segregation."Born in Riyadh in 1940, Kabani is the son of a poor immigrant from the United Arab Emirates.After finishing his high school, he took a job with Saudi Arabian Airlines while attending night classes at King Saud University on religion and memorization of the Qur'an.In 1984, he passed the government exam to become an imam, and worked briefly at the mosque in the Riyadh airport.Four years later, he won a more prominent position as the imam of the famous King Khalid mosque in Riyadh.It was only last September when he woke up to a phone call from the Grand Mosque administrator to apprise off the King's selection to him.Since then, the black Muslim imam has been half-jokingly dubbed the "Saudi Obama."