Park51, the Islamic Community Center in Lower Manhattan that has been at the center of much controversy, has announced that Imam Abdallah Adhami has been appointed a Senior Advisor.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to be a key advisor on a project going forward that has enormous creative and healing potential for the collective good in New York City and in our nation,” stated Imam Adhami.

Imam Abdallah Adhami is a respected Muslim-American Imam who for nearly 20 years has dedicated his unmatched doctoral credentials in the Islamic tradition to the service of Muslim and multi-denominational communities in the U.S.

Imam Adhami also holds a degree in architecture from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and has seven years of corporate experience in organizational development, art direction and executive training. He was born in Washington, DC and has been serving the Lower Manhattan Community since 1990.

“Imam Adhami will join Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and other New York Imams soon to be appointed, who will help Park51 create a robust and dynamic religious and interfaith component,” stated a Park51 press release.

“We are very excited about the next phase of Park51 and the challenging work ahead,” Sharif El-Gamal, the Trustee and President of Park51 said. “It is an honor for me personally to welcome Imam Adhami to our team. I look forward to his leadership and assistance in the development of Park51. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our many supporters for their time, effort and expertise during the past few months.”