They stipulated that he should lead a communal du‘aa’ and not place one hand over the other; should he lead them in prayer or leave them?
Question

                I was asked to be an imam and Jumu‘ah khateeb in the town in which I live, but they stipulated that I should recite du‘aa’ out loud after every prayer, and that I should not place one hand over the other in the prayer. Please note that I am the only one who is studying Islamic sciences in this town. Should I accept or refuse?
Praise be to Allah.
      Firstly: 

    We appreciate your keenness to do good, follow the Sunnah and 
    avoid that which is contrary to it; we ask Allah, may He be exalted, to 
    enable you to do that which pleases Him.

    Secondly: 

    We should differentiate between that on which the scholars 
    are unanimously agreed that it is a reprehensible innovation (bid‘ah) and 
    that concerning which the scholars have differed, such as about placing one 
    hand over the other when standing in the prayer, du‘aa’ following prayer, 
    Qunoot in Fajr prayer every day, and so on. 

    So we should be more strict in objecting to the first type 
    (that concerning which there is scholarly consensus that it is an 
    innovation); objections to the second type (that concerning which the 
    scholars differed as to whether it is innovation) should be of a lesser 
    degree. In fact, one may refrain from objecting altogether and keep quiet 
    about it because there is such a difference of opinion concerning it. 

    See the answer to question no.
    70491 for information on 
    differentiating between issues concerning which the one who acts differently 
    should be denounced and those concerning which he should not be denounced. 

    We should also note that Islam came to achieve and complete 
    that which is in people’s best interests and to ward off and reduce that 
    which is harmful to their best interests. 

    In the event of a conflict between achieving something good 
    and warding off something bad, we should see which of the two is more 
    important and then give it precedence. 

    Based on that, the Sunnah confirms that the hands should be 
    placed on the chest when standing in prayer, and the Sunnah is to recite 
    dhikr audibly following the obligatory prayer; each worshipper should recite 
    it audibly on his own, then if he offers supplication (du‘aa’) after 
    reciting this dhikr, he should do so quietly on his own. 

    What they are calling you to do is not good and is contrary 
    to the Sunnah. 

    But should you refuse to lead them in prayer so that you will 
    not end up doing something that is contrary to the Sunnah and committing 
    this wrong practice, or should you agree? 

    The answer to that is as follows: 

    If your refusing to lead them in prayer will result in their 
    bringing an imam who is more able than you to make these people follow the 
    Sunnah and teach it to them, and he will not end up going against the 
    Sunnah, then you should refuse. 

    But if your refusal means that they will bring an ignorant 
    imam who will do these actions that are contrary to the Sunnah and add many 
    more to them, and he will not teach the people the Sunnah or adhere to it; 
    rather he may oppose the Sunnah and those who follow it, out of ignorance on 
    his part or because he is following his whims and desires, then in that case 
    you should not hesitate to agree to be an imam for these people, even if 
    they make you do these actions that are contrary to the Sunnah, because that 
    will lead to less negative consequences than if you refuse. 

    We stated above that Islam came to ward off and reduce wrong 
    practices. Moreover, if you develop a close connection with them later on, 
    then you can try to teach them the Sunnah and lead them towards it little by 
    little. 

    You can also tell them about the views of some scholars whom 
    they respect who spoke against what you want to denounce of innovations, so 
    long as you do that gradually so as not to alienate the people. 

    There follow the views of some scholars about the imam 
    refraining from some things that he thinks are Sunnah and mustahabb, so as 
    to soften the hearts of the congregation. 

    Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) 
    said: 

    If the imam thinks that something is mustahabb and the 
    congregation does not think that it is mustahabb, and he refrains from doing 
    it for the sake of unity and harmony, then he has done something good. An 
    example of that is Witr, concerning which there are three scholarly 
    opinions, one of which is that it can only be three continuous rak‘ahs, like 
    Maghrib, as is the view of some of the Iraqi scholars. The second view is 
    that it can only be one rak‘ah that is prayed separately from whatever comes 
    before it, as is the view of some of the Hijazi scholars. The third view is 
    that both are permissible, as is the prevalent view of the Shaafa‘i madhhab, 
    Ahmad and others, and this is the correct view, however they favoured the 
    view that it should be separate from what comes before it. If the imam 
    thinks that it should be separate but the congregation favours the view that 
    Witr prayer should be done like Maghrib, and he goes along with that so as 
    to soften their hearts, then he has done well, as the Prophet (blessings and 
    peace of Allah be upon him) said to ‘Aa’ishah: “Were it not that your people 
    have only recently left Jaahiliyyah behind, I would have demolished (and 
    rebuilt) the Ka‘bah and made its door level with the ground, and I would 
    have given it two doors, one through which the people could enter and one 
    through which they could exit.” But he refrained from doing that which was 
    better in his view lest he alienate the people.

     Similarly, if a man thinks that the Basmalah (“Bismillah 
    ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem”) should be recited out loud but he is leading in 
    prayer people who do not think that doing so is mustahabb, or vice versa, 
    and he goes along with them, then he has done well. End quote. 

    Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 22/268 

    Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) 
    was asked: 

    Is it permissible to refrain from saying Ameen out loud in 
    the prayer and not to raise the hands? 

    He replied: 

    Yes, if he is among people who do not raise their hands or do 
    not say Ameen out loud, then it is better not to do that, so as to soften 
    their hearts and be able to call them to what is good, and so that he can 
    teach them and guide them, and so that he will be able to teach them the 
    right way. That is because if he differs from them they will find that 
    objectionable, because they think that this is the Islamic way, and they 
    think that not raising the hands, apart from the opening takbeer, is the 
    Islamic way, and they have been used to that all their lives. The same 
    applies to not saying Ameen out loud, which is the subject of a well-known 
    difference of opinion among the scholars; some of them say that it should be 
    said out loud and some of them say that Ameen should not be said out loud. 
    According to the hadeeth, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
    him) raised his voice, and according to other hadeeths he said it quietly. 
    Even though the correct view is that Ameen should be said out loud and it is 
    something mustahabb, and he will be omitting something mustahabb in this 
    case, the believer should not do something mustahabb if it will lead to 
    division, dispute and fitnah; rather the believer should refrain from doing 
    that which is mustahabb in that case. For the one who is calling people to 
    Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, if his refraining from something 
    will serve a greater interest, then he should do so. An example of that is 
    when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) refrained from 
    demolishing the Ka‘bah and rebuilding it on the foundations of Ibraaheem. He 
    said: “Quraysh have only recently left kufr behind,” and it is for that 
    reason that he left it as it was and did not change it, in the public 
    interest. End quote. 

    Fataawa Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 29/274, 
    275 

    And Allah knows best.