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Armour of God

Giles Fraser meets the first Muslim chaplain to the British Armed Forces. How can religious belief be balanced with military action leading to loss of life?

Giles Fraser meets Imam Asim Hafiz the first Muslim chaplain to the British Armed Forces and an Islamic advisor for the Ministry of Defence, who has been working with the armed forces since 2004 and has experienced many changes which have seen attitudes towards his role shifting according to the political climate, and Mandeep Kaur who was appointed as the first and only Sikh Chaplain for the entire British Armed Forces. She reflects on why the idea of military chaplaincy may seem like a difficult job to take on and the impact of the role within faith communities.

There are approximately 260 regular and 58 reserve chaplains across the armed forces. They serve personnel dealing with the pressures of being away from home, working in hostile environments and dealing with life and death decisions. How has the service evolved to support the broad range of beliefs represented in the armed forces? And how can religious belief really be balanced with the very real possibility of military action leading to loss of life?

To discuss Giles is joined by Roger Hutton, President of Defence Humanists and former Ministry of Defence Director International Security, Dr. Sunil Kariyakarawana, the first Buddhist Chaplain to the British Armed Forces, and the Revd Joanna Jepson, an Anglican priest and a Chaplain to the British Army.

Producers: Alexa Good and Linda Walker
Editors: Tim Pemberton and Chloe Walker

Release date:

28 minutes

On radio

Tue 10 Dec 2024 15:30

Broadcasts

  • Tue 10 Dec 2024 15:30
  • Sun 15 Dec 2024 06:05

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