Imams Online is launching a ‘Fair Wage Campaign’ focused on starting a serious conversation on current salaries of Imams across the UK in the hope of bringing about fundamental change that considers the changing roles and responsibilities placed on 21st century religious leadership.
Within the Muslim community, one of the biggest grievances from today’s Imams (traditionally employed by Mosques) is that their commitment and hard work is not accurately reflected in their salary. A recent analysis by MuslimView found that Imams were being paid well below the national average, that their salaries were not informed by pay scales and that their employment rarely involved any opportunities for professional development or additional training.
The Imams Online produced the infographic compares the average wage of similar level professions as Imams.
On the launch of the campaign, Shaukat Warraich (Chief Editor, Imams Online) said, “we have launched the ‘Fair Wage Campaign’ in order to trigger an overdue conversation within the community about standardising the role of the Imam and ensuring they are paid a respectable living wage which rewards their hard work. As an organisation invested in the development and promotion of excellence in Islamic leadership, we felt it necessary to begin a coordinated effort to bring about this change, attract top talent and give prospective Imams and Alimahs the confidence to pursue religious leadership roles as viable careers”.
Shaykh Abdul Hameed from Leicester said, “the Imams Online Fair Wage Campaign is a much-needed initiative to spark a serious conversation around the role of the Imam and its viability as a career. There is no doubt that there is a significant difference in the average salary of Imams compared to their Christian or Jewish counterparts. As a community, we need to reflect on how we treat our Imams and work on bringing about lasting change in their salary and professional development”.
