THE SIGNIFICANCE OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE HISTORICAL AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL TEXT AND CONTEXT FOR SUCCESSFUL WORK OF IMAMS IN EUROPE

Abstract

UDK 28-74-4

People always moved from one place to another, from one state to another, from one continent to another. Causes and motives for their migrations were different. At that time, these were great seas of nations conditioned by natural or climatic conditions, whereas sometimes there were wars and other social processes. Thus people became acquainted with the other and the different, sometimes through con-frontation and more often in peaceful coexistence. We are still witnessing similar processes today. Since Muslims of different nations are an important element of the Europe-an population, especially in the Western Europe, there is a need for their more effective integration into legal, socio-political and cultural frameworks of these countries. Thus, a special approach to education of imams who work in the countries of European Union is a necessary requirement for such integration. Education of imams there, in addition to theological knowledge, should include comprehensive in-troduction to the constitutional and historical texts and the context of the particular state and society, because it contains and represents the motives, sources, frameworks and goals of establishing, directing and initiating all social processes in the state and in the society. Understanding on the basis of the historical, legal and political contexts, an imam’s ac-tions shall help in building capacity to become guides in the community. Such education for imams in Europe should be provided by Islamic Community in B&H within its higher education institutions.