(Swiss Info) The Swiss Centre for Islam and Society at the University of Fribourg completed its first further education course for imams in autumn. Hansjörg Schmid, director of the centre, takes stock of the experience.
The 12-month course attracted a great deal of interest, with just over half of the 120 imams in Switzerland taking part in the various workshops.
For these Muslim clerics it was an opportunity to familiarise themselves with Swiss realities and to learn how to manage a flood of demands. They have to juggle pastoral care of the community with acting as a point of contact with the authorities concerning complex issues such as integration and radicalisation.
