Identity, Accountability, and Power in the American Muslim Community and in Islamic Chaplaincy

Abstract

This paper uses a discursive framework to examine how identity, accountability, and power shape Islamic chaplaincy in North America. Drawing on the Amman Message and the works of Talal Asad, Wael Hallaq, Sherman Jackson, and Mariam Sheibani, the paper situates chaplaincy as both a site of spiritual care and religious formation. It argues that cultural difference, racial hierarchy, and institutional power are not peripheral but central to Muslim moral formation and professional ethics.