"Islamic Affairs Consultants to Become an Institution"

What can be done when every call to prayer from the muezzin is followed by a complaint about disturbing the peace? For two years, communities have been able to call Hussein Hamdan in instances like these. Hamdan is an Islamic Affairs Consultant and mediates between communities and their Muslim populations. In an interview, he takes stock and reports on what is next.
Robert Bosch Stiftung | November 2016

What can be done when every call to prayer from the muezzin is followed by a complaint about disturbing the peace? What if a Muslim community would like to build a mosque and, in doing so, encounters resistance from the local residents? In that case, many communities put in a call to Hussein Hamdan, who has been an Islamic Affairs Consultant for two years now.

Hamdan advises communities in their dealings with the local Muslim communities, ensures that all affected parties are involved in the decision-making process, and serves as a mediator should conflicts arise. And he is so good at what he does that the program is now being expanded. The Partnership with Muslims in Baden-Württemberg project will receive 220,000 euros in funding over the next three years. The organizations supporting this project are the Akademie der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and Kehl University of Applied Sciences.

In an interview, Hussein Hamdan takes stock of his 55 experiences with consulting to date and reports on the plans for the next phase of the project.

(Interview: Philipp Knichel, November 2016)