An imam leading prayers at a mosque
An imam is the leader of worship at a mosque and a Muslim community leader. In Sunni Islam, imams are simply prayer leaders, but in Shia Islam, imams are said to have been chosen by Allah to be perfect examples to the faithful and are infallible, free from committing any sin. In both religions, they are important in terms of worship, acting as preachers; the Christian counterpart would be a priest, and the Jewish counterpart would be a rabbi.