Imam Behind Bars ― A Case Study of Islamic Spiritual Care in Dutch Prisons Towards the Development of a Professional Profile

A large body of research exists today regarding the imam who provides spiritual guidance and care within the mosque walls. But we still don’t know enough about the imam as a Muslim chaplain outside the mosque, in the public, and particularly in our prisons. Mohamed Ajouaou’s award-winning study focuses on this group of imams and addresses Muslim chaplaincy and Islamic spiritual care in Dutch correctional institutions. It provides insight into the design of a professional, Muslim, prison chaplaincy profile, with an emphasis on pastoral competencies, and it introduces crucial theological concepts of Muslim spiritual care. Through case studies, it illustrates the mosque imam’s transition to prison imam, the differences and similarities between the two contexts, and the distinct disadvantages prison imams suffer compared to their colleagues in more established denominations.

The study’s result is not only a practical and theological exploration of Islamic chaplaincy in the Netherlands, it is also a proposal of how this practice can be developed, through a conceptual framework and models for success, in other Western democracies and Islamic countries, as well. Ajouaou adeptly maps the pastoral skills that prison imams need, sketches a foundation for the profession, and clarifies the core theology for this widely overlooked ministry.