Muslims usually fear the imams because of the enormous power they wield within the community. If they live in a country where shari’a or Islamic law has been adopted, then imams, along with the religious police, are the enforcers. When Muslims come to Christ, converts often compare the brutal imams to the religious leaders who threatened Jesus in the New Testament. Think Pharisee with a Qur’an in his hand, and you have the picture. In Egypt, imams seem to be everywhere – and there’s a good reason for that.