A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Muslim Chaplains Needed |
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| jannah |
| 06/01/05 at 01:31:53 |
| Ingrid Mattson, PhD Professor of Islamic Studies Director of Islamic Chaplaincy Hartford Seminary 77 Sherman Street Hartford, CT 06105 phone: 860-509-9531 fax: 860-509-9539 imattson@hartsem.edu assalamu alaykum: Please excuse me if this posting seems like a kind of advertisement at first, but it is actually a request for help from you all. As some of you may know, I started a graduate program for Muslim Chaplains in 2000. I did this after surveying the American religious-cultural landscape and realizing that chaplaincy is an important profession in the US because of its nexus between the faith based community and the public. I realized at that time that we would not only have to create an educational program, but also help develop the field of chaplaincy for Muslims. In the African- American Muslim community, there already was a good appreciation for the profession, and African-American Muslims have been present in prison chaplaincy especially for a long time. There has been less of a presence in the military (although the political importance of this field is profound) and hospitals. Unfortunately, because of the lack of an accredited educational program, the Muslims who had been working in these institutions were not treated with the same respect nor given the same authority and benefits as other chaplains. Can you imagine the struggle an "unordained" African American female Muslim has to be respected by the administration of a correctional facility? This is one of the reasons I wanted to establish this program. Campus chaplaincy was another area of concern. There have been a few college chaplains (Yahya Hendi, the Georgetown chaplain graduated from Hartford Seminary with an MA before the establishment of this program), but not very many. Some Muslims felt that there was no need for campus chaplains because of the presence of the MSA. Fortunately, even the MSA has decided that there is a crucial need for college chaplains. The chaplain's job is to support all students--even those who are not "good" Muslims, and he or she has professional training to counsel students as they struggle with academic, spiritual and personal challenges--including very sensitive issues like out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexual orientation, substance abuse etc. I always knew that we would be challenged balancing supply and demand in this program and now we find that many prestigious colleges are looking into hiring Muslim chaplains. Currently, Yale, Princeton, Trinity College and a prestigious New England prep school have asked me to send them students as "field placements" initially while they figure out how to fund at least a part-time Muslim chaplain. Field education is a standard part of the Master of Divinity program and our Islamic Chaplaincy program. It is a kind of apprenticeship in which a chaplain-in-training works under the supervision of a senior chaplain. Alhamdulillah we have some very good students in the program, but I am afraid that demand will rapidly outstrip supply. This will be harmful to the development of the profession because institutions may feel the need to lower standards to provide equal religious accomodation to the Muslim community. This is what happened in many state correctional systems and unqualified "Imams"/chaplains used their authority and the minbar in prisons to foster intolerance, misogyny etc. So what I am asking all of you to do is to send students who you think would be suitable for this profession my way. Some students are clearly on the academic/professorial track. Others are more inclined towards serving and guiding the community in their spiritual and social development. I need those students. This does not mean that they will not be intellectually engaged. Indeed, college chaplains often have a significant role in campus discussions about ethics, policies, etc. And with apologies to all the professors (after all, I am one too), I do believe that chaplains often have more prestige and influence than professors. If anyone has any questions about the program, let me know. wassalam Ingrid Mattson |
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