A highly-regarded United States Muslim scholar, Imam Talal Y. Eid, commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), arrived last Sunday in Manila to meet with local Islamic religious leaders, including a visit Tuesday, at the Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA).

Imam Eid is set to meet with students, professors, peace advocates, and Islamic leaders, etc. His Philippine visit ends on Feb. 18. President George Bush appointed on May 2007 Imam Eid to the (USCIRF), "an independent, bipartisan agency, which monitors overseas conditions and makes policy recommendations to the president, State Department and Congress."

He is the first Muslim cleric to serve in the USCIRF.

His resume shows that Imam Eid's interfaith work has earned him "recognition awards from many local and national institutions, including the Massachusetts State Senate; the office of the District Attorney of Norfolk, Massachusetts; the Quincy (MA) City Council; the Quincy Human Rights Commission, Partners in Excellence Award (MGH); and Toastmasters International."

OMA Executive Director Datu Ali B. Sangki said that Muslims in the Philippines welcome the American Islamic scholar's visit, saying he hopes Imam Eid's meeting with OMA officials and employees will lead to a closer relations between the two countries' Islamic communities.

"In behalf of the Muslims in the Philippines, the Office on Muslim Affairs and I welcome our Brother Imam Talal Y. Eid's visit to the Philippines. It is belief that his coming to the country will promote and enhance relations between Muslim Filipinos and American Muslims," said Sangki.

The OMA official said he has plans to help form a truly independent and responsive organization of ulama (Muslim scholars). He said he hopes the meeting with Imam Eid would help lead to such an institution.

"It is very important to have a genuinely independent group of ulama in the country, which is not beholden to any foreign governments or non-governmental organizations (NGOs)," said Sangki.