Muslim Prison Chaplains in Canada and Britain

Abstract

The separation between religion and the state is widely regarded as a central feature of modernization processes, but sociological research has tended to neglect the extent to which even ‘secular states’ continue to manage religion in such institutions as prisons, hospitals and military establishments. This article extends the understanding of the state's management of religion by focusing on responses to the growth of religious diversity among prisoners and chaplains. In particular, it analyses the integration of Muslim chaplains into the prison systems of Canada and England & Wales. It is based on research – conducted between 2010 and 2012 – that investigated the frameworks governing religion in these two prison systems. This research involved analysis of official policies and regulations as well as transcripts of telephone interviews with a small sample of Muslim chaplains in both jurisdictions. The main focus of the findings reported in this article is on the implications that each prison system's arrangements for chaplaincy have for the work of Muslim chaplains and for questions about religious freedom and equality. These questions are timely in the context of controversies currently surrounding the increasing size of the Muslim prison population in England & Wales and Canada and the need for prisons in both jurisdictions to strike a fair balance between the recognition of religious diversity and the imperatives of security and equality.

Responses to Religious Diversity in Spain

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Perspectives from the Edge: Chaplains in Greater Boston, 1945–2015

“…Historically and in the present, chaplains work in the military, healthcare, prisons, municipal settings, workplaces, colleges and universities, and a range of other settings (Beckford and Cairns ; Bergen ; Berlinger ; Hicks ; Holifield ; Loveland ; Otis ; Sullivan ; Sundt and Cullen , ). Research about chaplains focuses by sector and says little synthetically about how chaplains’ work varies by those sectors and institutions.…”

Humanizing Agents of Modern Capitalism? The Daily Work of Port Chaplains

“…Once they have access, chaplains play roles that range from ritual specialist to counselor to small group facilitator based on the sectors and organizations within which they work. Research on the mandate or basis on which chaplains do their work shows mandates ranging from legal and policy precedents to moral arguments to religious motivations (Beckford and Cairns 2015;Bergen 2004;Berlinger 2008;Hicks 2008;Holifield 2007;Loveland 2014;Otis 2009;Sullivan 2009;Sundt and Cullen 1998;Sundt and Cullen 2002). Some scholars have argued that chaplains' unique positions as religious professionals in mostly secular organizations make a kind of marginality or organizational "in-between-ness" the defining and the most consistent characteristic of their work and roles (Cadge 2012;Hansen 2012;Paget and McCormack 2006;Sullivan 2014).…”