Abd'Llah Al-Ansari will take over as imam of the Colchester-based Islamic Society of Vermont at the beginning of April.
He comes to the community from South Carolina, where he's been working as a chaplain at a correctional facility.
Taysir Al-Khatib, the president of the Islamic Society of Vermont, said the group is excited about the new imam.
“He has a charisma, he has the knowledge, he understands the diversity — because we are diverse from many, many different countries,” Al-Khatib said.
Al-Ansari's selection as the new imam comes following months of searching. The Islamic Society of Vermont's previous imam, Islam Hassan, left last summer for a position in Cleveland, Ohio.
