Mosque leaders are hoping Farid Farooqi will become a permanent fixture at the mosque, which has struggled to retain a leader since 2003.

Jeffry Scott / arizona daily star

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Thirty-five-year-old Farid Farooqi is the new imam for Tucson's largest mosque, the Islamic Center of Tucson at 901 E. First St. near the University of Arizona.

Mosque leaders are hoping that Farooqi, a native of Pakistan, will become a permanent fixture at the mosque, which has struggled to retain a leader since 2003, when Jordanian Omar Shahin left abruptly.

A replacement for Shahin was hired in late 2004, but the new hire backed out at the last minute. The national search resumed, and Mohammed Elfarooqui was hired in March 2005. Less than a year later, he quit for personal reasons.

The newest imam began his job in Tucson last month. He has an eclectic background, having studied not only Islam but veterinary sciences in Pakistan and medicine in the Caribbean. He also trained to be a funeral director in New York City.

A Q&A with Farooqi:

"In Peshawar, Pakistan. It is a beautiful city, and when I grew up there were always lots of foreigners around — Dutch, American, French, Russians."

"No, my love of languages is personal. I speak Urdu, Pushtu, Punjabi, Hindi, Persian, Arabic and English. I am trying to learn Spanish. I already know buenas noches, buenas tardes, como estás and muy bien."

"Yes, my wife Aisha Jilani and our four children, 8-year-old Habiba, 5-year-old Jibreel, 3-year-old Wajiha and 2-month-old Musa. Tucson is a good environment to raise a family in and the mosque is well-organized, filled with very sincere, devoted people who are highly educated. My wife is a volunteer Islamic-education teacher at the mosque."

"I was born in a family where everyone is an imam — my father, brothers, uncles. Thanks to God I grew up exposed to Islam from childhood. I used to sit in my dad's lap as he taught. I also went to school for Islamic studies in Pakistan, and studied the Quran."

"In 1997 after I graduated from veterinary school in Pakistan. I was offered a job as an imam of the Muslim Center of New York in Queens. I stayed for three years."

"I moved to Phoenix. My brother invited me. He is an imam at the Muslim Community Mosque there. I worked as an assistant imam on a volunteer basis and decided to pursue my veterinary career and joined a Mesa veterinary clinic. ... But there was a cultural barrier. People would bring their dogs into the clinic and the other vets would hug and kiss them, and let the dogs lick them. I love animals, but I do not hug and kiss them."

"Yes, I worked in Kingman and for a short time in Salt Lake City."

"I call myself Muslim. I don't want to label myself Sunni or Shiite, though of course people label this a Sunni mosque. People are killing each other over whether they are Sunni or Shiite, and that is not Islam."

"I'd like to encourage more of our Muslim youths to participate in our community, join the Tucson Police Department, the FBI. To show love for your country, your community, that is part of our faith.

"I also want to let people know that Islam is not only for Muslims, it's for everything. If I want to give to charity I don't only give to Muslims. Whatever benefits we give to our members, social services, charity, that's not just for Muslims — that's for the whole community."