Imam Konate
by Anna Rubin
Imam Konate became an imam in 1996 after coming to the United States. When he arrived in Harlem, there was a sizable and growing Muslim African immigrant population but no mosque in which they could comfortably pray. All of the mosques in the area conducted their services primarily in English, and it was difficult for these new immigrants to come to the mosque and learn with the community. Imam Konate mobilized the immigrants to create their own houses of worship, and now there are ten African mosques in Harlem alone. They communicate with each other and stay active and organized through the work of the Council of African Imams, a body that allows the Imams of this community, as well as those in the Bronx, to help and teach each other as their populations continue to expand.
Imam Konate takes his role of imam extremely seriously. As he put it, the members of his community see him as “carrying the cane of Moses,” and they turn to him to officiate major life cycle events and ceremonies, such as baby namings and weddings, and they go to him when they are in need of legal or financial guidance or help. In order to be of the greatest possible assistance to his community, Imam Konate has made a conscious effort to reach out to organizations, agencies, civic bodies, and other faith communities in the area, in an effort to foster and maintain good relations around the Harlem and wider New York area.
I first met Imam Konate during the grand opening of the new space for his mosque, Masjid Aqsa, on E 115th St. Dressed grandly for Friday prayer, though it turns out this is not out of the ordinary. As Imam Konate greeted me he also greeted and inquired after the many other women of his congregation who were streaming into the women’s section of the mosque. Even in this brief interaction, it was clear Imam Konate is a man of his community, caring about the well-being of each person, and listening intently to the goings on in their lives.
