Professionalizing the Imam in Europe: Imam Training Programs as Sites of Deliberative Engagement

摘要: This article discusses the first experiences of a supplementary imam training program that has been designed in Netherlands for community-based imams, female religious leaders and mosque committee members. “Professionalization Imams Netherlands” (PIN) was set up as cooperation Representative Council Muslims (CMO) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, supported by state-subsidy. The how initiators maneuvered within beyond politicized burden expectation surrounded establishment European-based programs decades now. provides unique insight into program’s design, its collaborative partners participants’ experiences, understanding site deliberative engagement. It shows stakeholders ideally see ownership curriculum trainee recruitment shared responsibility Muslim community public educational institution, whereas state is willing to finance it. outlines this attempt must deal with some paradoxical dynamics influence notion “shared ownership”. Sharing these analytical observations recommendations will hopefully help involved setting similar European make rational decisions on content format (future) programs, fields power, authority interest.