Muslim Leader Forges Interfaith Accord
Popular Imam Boosts Islam in Md., Beyond
By Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 18, 2005

He is a devout Muslim who speaks both Arabic and Hebrew. He quotes the Torah almost as well as the Koran and once protested the threatened removal of crucifixes at Georgetown University. He is a Palestinian by birth who believes in Israel's right to exist.

He wishes that the media paid more attention to his message that Islam, Christianity and Judaism share more similarities than differences, but he is not always good at returning their calls. He keeps a couple of bottles of cologne in his Toyota Camry because his 14-hour days keep him on the go and, well, you never know when you need a quick splash of Hugo Boss or Gucci.

Yahya Hendi is not your average imam.

At a time when his adopted country is engaged in a struggle with terrorism driven by Islamic extremists, Hendi, senior imam of the Islamic Society of Frederick County, preaches interfaith understanding and calls on fellow Muslims to rescue their religion from extremists. The rest