An American Example of Islamic Chaplaincy Education for the European Context

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This is an exemplary article, well structured: clearly signposting its subject, methodology, identifying critical questions and offering provisional conclusions to its finely wrought case study. Its topic could not be more timely, important and encouraging. I hope the author, in future, will revisit the topic and explore many of the interesting questions he poses, three in particular are freighted with huge significance: first, the extent to which university, credentialed, well-funded and professionalized chaplaincy courses are 'likely to remake what it means to be a Muslim leader'; the extent to which this will normalise the role of female chaplains and whether such developments will impact positively or negatively the social status and education of the mosque imam.

Author Response

Thank you for comments and feedback - also for future work. Please be in touch after the article is published, so I can direct my work along your suggestions. 
Very best,

Reviewer 2 Report

Review Report

The article offers important insights into Islamic Chaplaincy education models and their implications in the world of work, particularly in the West, which in turn lends perceptions to the Education for Imams and Chaplains in the West. The latter, in its larger framework of ‘perspectives on Islam’ is a much-needed conversation for stakeholders, communities, as well as citizens for the informed and inclusive citizenry.

The exploration is attempted through a discussion of an American model of chaplaincy education at Hartford Seminary, Connecticut. It is conducted against student learning development, standards of employment, and contribution to the community, as well as society through the Input-Environment-Output (I-V-O) model. The case of Hartford Seminary is a good sample for elaborating the problem at hand and bringing the desired nuances to the subject of research.

Some aspects to be considered:

While the article brings a detailed conversation on multiple interrelated areas of Islamic religious leadership, as a way forward, some exemplification of the gap between education for imams and chaplaincy would be desirable. For instance, can the role of chaplains and imams be mutually complementary in the mosques? Further, who is an Imam, and what is his role (both in Sunni and Shia context)?

Similarly, the multilayered research methodology needs some mention in either the footnotes or appendix, including the survey results, interview protocols and questions, participant observation standards, matrix for auditing courses, and comparing syllabuses. This will add a lot of value and context to the research presented here.

 Overall, an important contribution to the Islamic education nuances in both America and Europe.  

P.S. – Errors/Typos: L.102, L.708, etc.

Author Response

Thank you for thoughts, comments and suggestions. I added a short new section on the gap between education of imams and chaplains on page 5, added a further discussion as per your suggestion on page 13, added notes v, vi, vii and xxvi on some of the methodological topics sought for, and I have sent the article to a thorough and fast working English language service.