| Muslim Chaplains a New Priority for Colleges |
Page 1 of 3 It used to be that a college campus could consider itself to be meeting its students' religious needs if it had Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish chaplains on staff. But now, as the number of Muslim students on American campuses continues to rise, colleges and universities are recognizing the need for a trained, paid Muslim clergy presence on campus. Currently, there is only one recognized program that certifies Muslim chaplains. The Hartford Seminary Islamic Chaplaincy Program, which is in its first year of operation, offers a 24-credit series of courses that, combined with an internship experience, garners participants a certificate in Islamic chaplaincy. The program, which was originally developed to help the military educate and certify Muslim chaplains, noticed a need on campuses for professional Muslim chaplains who can advocate for students' dietary needs, holiday observances and protection from discrimination. "Increasingly, campuses are aware that there are some special needs for Muslim students, and that the student population is growing," said Jane Smith, who is a professor of Islamic studies at Hartford Seminary and an adviser to the chaplaincy program. It is estimated there are at least 75,000 Muslim students enrolled in American colleges and universities. Because there is no official ordained clergy in Islam but only religious leaders appointed by each community, the closest to a school-sanctioned Muslim religious community most schools get is to have a Muslim Students Association chapter on campus. But leaders say that the nation's 138 MSA chapters alone are not enough to meet the needs of Muslim students. "We are looking at the chaplains to be mentors on issues of surviving in a majority non-Muslim campus," said Altaf Husain, president of the national MSA. |
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Community Partnerships
Chaplaincy provides a window into how individuals, families, religions and communities view themselves, their situation and others.
Chaplains have direct access into understanding people's spiritual foundations which often provides insights on how to work with them. Spirituality plays a key role in how organizations and community residents interact.
Education
Education is a fundamental factor in encouraging excellence in the pastoral ministry carried out by chaplains in varied institutional settings.
Muslim Chaplains Association is committed to offering and promoting quality educational events to assure that chaplains have sufficient opportunity to engage in dialogue with colleagues and learn new skills and techniques.