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5th Annual Muslim Chaplains Conference
Report and Program Details
The 5th Annual Muslim Chaplain’s Conference (July 2-3, 2009) held
in Washington D.C. was attended by chaplains with many years of experience as
well as students of chaplaincy. The theme of the conference was “Chaplains as
Caregivers, Mediators and Teachers”. The keynote speaker was Professor Khalid
Blankinship from Temple University. His theme was “History of Islam and
Chaplaincy”. He reflected upon the many centuries of Islamic history and shared
some key insights along with hadith and ayahs of the Quran which support
chaplains within the communities they serve. He mentioned “prison being the
maximum institution and most controlled space for individuals” and tied that in
with a hadith from Sahih Muslims which states “this world is the prison of the
believer and the paradise of the unbeliever.” He said that chaplains help “make
the world better incrementally” and mentioned that the seed of chaplaincy might
be of those who are mentioned in the Quran “…special groups stayed behind to
teach the people….”
Other speakers were U.S. Navy Chief of Chaplains Rear Admiral Robert F. Burt,
US Army Chaplain Colonel Scottie Lloyd and BOP Chief of Chaplains Joseph Pryor
who spoke about the need for more chaplains within their ranks to serve the
Muslim community. The BOP has created an extensive outreach program with the
Muslim communities in the U.S. and will need the help of chaplains and religious
leaders to enlist Muslim Chaplains. Dr. Teresa Snorton from the Association of
Clinical Pastoral Counseling shared her knowledge on “Is CPE is right for you?”
The Muslim Chaplain Association held a vote for the three positions of the
current board and are as follows: Chair, Rabia Harris; Secretary, Shareda Hosein
& Treasurer, Kamal Abu-Shamsieh. The advisory committee is Abu Ishaq Abdul
Hafiz and Chaplain Abdul Rasheed Muhammad.
During the Inaugural Session of the ISNA 46th Annual Convention, Chaplain
Abdul Rasheed Muhammad was honored for contributions to ISNA and ILDC’s
Chaplaincy program. It was mentioned that he is the highest ranking Muslim
Chaplain in the US military after his recent promotion to Lt. Colonel in the US
Army. Chaplain Abdul Rasheed played a pivotal role in the establishment of the
Chaplains Conference that is now held yearly.
The detailed program is below.
Chaplains as
Caregivers, Mediators and Teachers
5th Annual Muslim
Chaplains Conference
July 2-3, 2009 ¦ Washington, DC
Renaissance
Hotel, DC Hotel
Washington,
District Of Columbia
Register on line or Download Application
The Annual Conference of
Muslim Chaplains provides Muslim chaplains the opportunity to share notes,
evaluate concerns and challenges, and plan for the future. The conference is
open to Muslim chaplains working with hospitals, universities, the Armed
Forces, and federal and state prisons from around the country.
Click here to download the Conference Program
You can register online via a secure form or download the registration form
and mail it to ILDC, PO Box 38, Plainfield, IN 46168. Registration fee is $55. Hotel accommodations will be at the Renaissance Hotel,
located in Washington, DC. Registration
at the hotel is $99 + Tax for Single
occupancy. It is $10 extra for each additional guest. Check in
begins July 1st and check out is July 3rd, 2009.
Please note that you will be responsible for reserving
your own room
For more information on registration
and other details, please contact Diane Hummeid at diane@isna.net or 317-839-1807. The deadline for the conference registration is June 25,
2009. After due date, a late fee of $ 25.00 will be imposed for registration.
Special Note for the Supervisors and Chiefs:
Please
encourage your chaplains to attend the conference. If you have any questions,
please direct it to the ISNA Leadership development Center at ildc@isna.net
or call 317-839-1807.