Muslim Chaplains Association

To that end, Husain's group has formed a Religious Accommodation Task Force, which will begin meeting this summer to discuss a program aimed at encouraging graduating seniors to attend the Hartford Seminary program and return to the college environment for a year or two and serve as a chaplain.

These students, to whom Husain jokingly refers as "majoring in MSA," are seriously dedicated to campus Muslim issues, and they are a loss to the school when they graduate. Husain said that the task force will also discuss scholarships to send the students to Hartford.

At the same time, Husain said, university communities need to understand the differences between Muslim organized religion and other traditions, most importantly that a chaplain should never be seen as the ultimate religious authority.

"We cannot follow the same patterns as other religions," he said. "We have to make sure that this Muslim community is not looked at in a vacuum."

Social issues, from recreational activities to special arrangements for all-girls dorms to meet Muslim modesty requirements, represent a major area of a chaplain's impact on a campus.

"A lot of Muslim students come from close families and close communities, and when they get to college, I saw a lot of students who were very lonely," said Ingrid Mattson, a professor of Islamic studies at Hartford Seminary and director of the chaplaincy program.

"Because of their religion, they don't socialize in the same way as other students -- they don't go to the bars," she added.

Mattson says the program, which has three registered students this year but a much larger applicant pool for next year, will give students a solid foundation in both the religious needs of Muslim students and a public educational institution.

"What the chaplaincy program offers is courses and practical experience that deal with the ritual and religious needs of Muslim students," said Mattson.

"It's important to have qualified people," she continued. "The colleges should feel more secure because the people have gone through an accredited program."

Muslim college chaplains can also help educate the larger campus community about Islam, say proponents.

"People want to know what this religion is about," said Shamshad Sheikh, adviser to the Muslim community at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass.

Sheikh, although not certified by a program like Hartford Seminary's, is one of fewer than 30 full-time, paid Muslim college chaplains in the country. She says that Muslim students benefit from a university-sanctioned leader's presence.