Military imam

A US Navy Military Imam (2002)

A military imam is a cleric who is in the service of the military and provides pastoral care to soldiers, members of the army and prisoners of war of Islamic faith .

Military imams in German-speaking countries

Austria

Military imams were already employed in the Austrian army during the times of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy . This was due to the increasing number of Muslims as members of the military after the occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1881. After the First World War, there are no longer any known military chaplains for Muslims in the Austrian army . The increase in the number of Muslim residents in Austria since the 1990s meant that the need for military chaplaincy was again a controversial issue. In Austria (unlike in Germany) Islam is recognized as a public body. As part of the integration of soldiers with a migration background , a prayer room for Muslims was set up in the Maria Theresa barracks in Vienna in February 2004 . After negotiations between the Austrian Federal Ministry for National Defense and Sport and representatives of Muslims in Austria had been taking place since 2005 , the appointment of two military men on the basis of independent work contracts was planned for 2008 . The first of two military Imanen, Abdulmedzid Sijamhodzic from Bosnia, was hired on July 1, 2015 this part-time job from the army and spoke at the swearing-in of recruits at 26.10. 2015 at Heldenplatz in Vienna. According to press reports, around 700 Muslim basic military service members served in the Austrian armed forces in 2015 .

Switzerland

In Switzerland at the beginning of 2009 the President of the Federation of Islamic Umbrella Organizations called for the installation of a military imam. In February 2011, the chief army chaplain of the Swiss Army took the view that there was no need to use imams or rabbis in the army chaplaincy .

Germany

Protestant and Catholic military chaplains have been looking after soldiers in the Bundeswehr since 1957. In July 2011, the chairman of the Central Council of Muslims advocated the introduction of military imams. At the same time, the Bundeswehr was of the opinion that the number of Muslim soldiers was still too small to maintain special military chaplaincy. In 2011, the Inner Leadership Center issued a working paper for superiors regulating how to deal with Muslim comrades. On April 2, 2019, the Ministry of Defense announced that the German Armed Forces would introduce military imams for the estimated 3,000 or so Muslim soldiers.

Western Europe

According to a publication by the Social Science Institute of the German Armed Forces , imams are active in the military pastoral care of the British (unknown number) and French army (number as of 2008: 8).