ABHA, 17 September 2007 — Worshippers in a local mosque here kicked the imam (prayer leader) out of a mosque after he cursed at them during Taraweeh prayers, Okaz daily reported yesterday. During the holy month of Ramadan, special evening prayers are conducted during which long portions of the Qur’an are recited. The Qur’an is divided into equal parts (called juz) for the purpose of reading sections of equal length during each night of Ramadan. Thus, 1/30 of the Qur’an is read on successive evenings, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur’an has been completed. Finding an imam who knows the entire Qur’an by heart and can lead Taraweeh prayers is often a challenge, especially in remote villages. Worshippers in the mosque hired the imam from Makkah to lead Taraweeh prayers. However, he was hired without being tested to see if he was qualified and on his first day on the job, worshippers noticed that he was making mistakes and even ended the Taraweeh prayer without special supplications. Angry with the worshippers’ criticism, he decided to give them the supplication they wanted but also included swear words during the supplication. The worshippers stood in surprise as he cursed at them. After he finished, he was kicked promptly out of the mosque and told never to come back.