Welsh Hospital Hires First Muslim Chaplain

March 18, 2004

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/3523324.stm

On March 18, 2004 the BBC News reported, "A Muslim Imam has been taken on as a chaplain at a Welsh hospital for the first time. Imam Farid Ahmed Khan has been hired by the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport to look after the needs of Muslim staff and patients. It is the first time that a Muslim spiritual leader has taken up a post like this in Wales. Imam Khan had already spent a year volunteering at the hospital before being taken on. His initial work had shown that there was 'a real need for this position,' he said, and he was looking forward to the future. 'I am available for religious and spiritual needs and also more practical everyday problems that can cause a person to worry when they are taken into hospital'...Imam Khan speaks six languages and is one of south Wales' most prominent Muslim leaders. He has had overwhelming support and letters of thanks for his new role... 'This is a really positive thing and I have already been approached by other hospitals who want to get their own Imam chaplains. It is about breaking down barriers and working side by side with other faiths,' he added."