Germany: Female imams

Women rarely become preachers of the Islamic faith. In Germany there are only 13 female imams. Their job: pastoral care and integration. Mosques are urgently in need of women providing such services. Ulrike Hummel reports


They lead prayers, give Koran lessons and do an enormous amount of counseling. Whether in New York, Cairo or Istanbul: female Imams are in high demand at the moment. And there is plenty of work for them in Germany as well. Even though leading Friday prayers in front of a mixed congregation is taboo for the women of the Islamic world, mosque members are happy to rely on the services of female preachers for other types of work. Zeynep Cesen is 50 years old and one of the very few female imams who have come to Germany from Turkey especially to attend to women within these congregations.


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Source: Qantara (English)

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