At Tübingen University Hospital, Muslim chaplains accompany people of the Islamic faith during their stay in hospital. The consultations are coordinated by Hazem Elgafari, who has been working as a chaplain since 2017. The team consists of three men and two women.
It is not only when life and death are at stake that people seek support from clergy. As Hazem Elgfari reported during the Intercultural Week, he also receives requests during Ramadan, for example. Is a devout Muslim allowed to take vital medication during the daily fasting period or does he have to wait until sunset? As Elgafari explains, he assures the patients that they have to take the medication at the time prescribed by the doctor. The fast can be made up for. After all, the Koran also prescribes keeping the body healthy.
Elgafari and his colleagues help when there are cultural differences—such as how to deal with bedside visits. They also explain why it is not always possible to avoid female patients being washed by a male nurse. The chaplains can also mediate when it comes to who is allowed to make important medical decisions. “In Arab countries, the doctor decides,” says Elgafari. In Germany, the patient’s right to self-determination applies. This can lead to conflicts with families where, for example, the husband wants to decide for his wife when an important operation goes ahead. Muslims also often face conflicts at the end of life: Cremation, for example, is forbidden in the Koran, Elgafari reports.
Muslim counsellors are also the people to contact when, for example, the question of an abortion arises because the unborn child has severe disabilities.
The counsellors speak German, Arabic, Turkish and English. Unlike their Christian colleagues, they work on a voluntary basis and are independent of the respective mosque associations. Elgafari comes from Egypt and is one of the first graduates of the Islamic Theology programme in Tübingen. In the meantime, he has also worked as a prison chaplain and sits on the Tübingen Integration Council. At the university hospital, he coordinates the interpreting teams.
The volunteer Muslim chaplains can be reached by phone at 07071-29 87679. The email address is:
Hazem.Elgafari@med.uni-tuebingen.de
A multilingual flyer is available at the university hospital.
https://www.medizin.uni-tuebingen.de/files/view/VOqdrp5bGlyVkbK490AexN8R
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Kliniken in Tübingen. Foto: tünews INTERNATIONAL / Mostafa Elyasian.
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