AMC Pledge & Code of Conduct
In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Preamble
The Association of Muslim Chaplains (AMC) hereby affirms that all persons who wish to be members of this association should take the AMC Pledge to hold themselves to the highest ethical standards as derived from the Quran and Sunnah, and abide by the AMC Code of Conduct. The AMC Pledge and Code of Conduct are firmly rooted in the general principles derived from the Qur’an, and the ideas reflected in the life example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). We draw inspiration from what Allah says in the Qur’an, rendered here in English:
“Let there arise out of you a band of people, inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong; They are the successful ones.” (Al-Imran, 3:104)
AMC Pledge
I, as an AMC Member and Muslim chaplain, pledge to serve Allah (God) in accordance with sound Islamic principles:
1- I look to the Qur’an, the prophetic model, authentic traditions, and established scholarly opinions to promote spirituality, goodness, compassion, and justice, and to serve with compassion, sincerity, and integrity the people who seek my help, counsel, and advice.
2- I am committed to continuing my Islamic and professional education to be better equipped to serve people and to perform my duties. I will maintain high standards of educational and professional competence, and will actively strive to develop my knowledge and skills as a Muslim chaplain.
3- I will maintain self-discipline as a Muslim in such ways as establishing regular prayers and practicing required acts of worship, endeavoring to maintain wholesome family relationships, and good health habits, and to engaging in educational and recreational activities that promote personal and spiritual development.
4- I will never use the special authority granted to me as Chaplain in ways that violate the personhood of another human being, religiously, emotionally, or physically.
5- I will seek to ensure equity of treatment and wellbeing for all those entrusted to my care.
6- I will promote dialogue rather than monologue in my teaching and counsel, understanding that the nature of counsel and advice is interactive, done with people rather than to people.
7- I will work collegially with chaplains of other faiths, respecting their beliefs and traditions as I respect those of the people whom I counsel and serve.
8- I understand that everyone has potential in them that is a blessing from God, and my role is to help myself and others fulfill their potential in life physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
9- I will maintain my membership dues, communicate any change in my contact information, and any changes in my employment to AMC.
To affirm this commitment, I will abide by the AMC Pledge and AMC Code of Conduct by faithfully supporting its principles and purposes and following the code as amended from time to time by AMC.
AMC Code of Conduct
1.0 General Standards:
1.1 AMC Members shall not act beyond their competence in teaching or counseling situations and shall refer to other professionals when appropriate. AMC Members shall not give constitutional legal advice unless they are actually registered attorneys. Similarly, those who seek their advice for specialized areas should be referred to experts in those fields.
1.2 AMC Members shall not engage in consensual or non consensual sexual contact, make comments, or marriage proposals with the persons they currently supervise or counsel, or have counseled in at least the previous six months. AMC Members shall respect and honor the institution of marriage in their conduct with their spouse and others at all times.
1.3 AMC Members shall not exploit their position of trust to take advantage of another’s weak mental, or physical position for personal, financial, political, or sexual gain.
1.4 AMC Members assume the full burden of responsibility for establishing and maintaining clear, appropriate boundaries in all supervisory, teaching, counseling and counseling related relationships.
1.5 Teaching, counseling, or administrative meetings should not be held at places or times that would tend to cause confusion about the nature of the relationship, or put the AMC Member at risk of being falsely accused of inappropriate behavior.
1.6 AMC Members shall not conduct or participate in marriage ceremonies in which any participant is not acting under their free and voluntary will without undue influence, nor in any marriage ceremony conducted with any degree of secrecy. It is a violation of this section for an AMC Member to participate in a marriage ceremony knowing that one party is entering into the marriage solely for the purpose of acquiring immigration benefits. It is a violation of this section for an AMC Member to participate in a marriage ceremony where one or both of the parties is underage according to the law of the State.
1.7 AMC Members shall provide and work to maintain a professional Islamic work environment that is free from physical, psychological, written, or verbal intimidation or harassment. Harassment encompasses a broad range of physical, written, or verbal behavior, including but not limited to: physical or mental abuse, racial or ethnic insults, and unwelcome sexual advances.
1.8 AMC Members shall not handle donations or organizational cash without a witness.
1.9 AMC Members shall honor their pledge in good faith.
1.10 AMC Members have a duty to report their violations, and the violations of others, in a timely fashion and shall fully
cooperate in any investigation of a violation of this Code of Conduct.
1.11 AMC Members shall be honest in all dealings and shall not make any false or misleading representations regarding their credentials, experience, or in their research or work product.
1.12 AMC members shall practice within their scope of competence and seek to develop and enhance their professional expertise.
2.0 Confidentiality
2.1 AMC Members shall discuss the nature of confidentiality and its limitations with each person who comes to them for counseling, advising, or spiritual direction.
2.2 Information obtained in the course of counseling sessions shall be confidential, except for compelling professional reasons or as required by law:
2.2.1 If there is a clear and imminent danger to the client or to others, or in the case of a minor, there is evidence of abuse or neglect, then the AMC Member may disclose only the information necessary to protect the parties affected and to prevent harm.
2.1.2 Before disclosure is made, if feasible, the AMC Member should attempt to inform the person being counseled about the disclosure.
2.3 Knowledge that is gained from professional contact may only be used for instructional or writing purposes, and then only when effective measures are taken to insure the individual’s identity and confidentiality are maintained.
2.4 AMC Members shall take reasonable and appropriate steps to make sure electronically stored confidential information is protected from misuse or from unauthorized dissemination.
3.0 Conflict of Interest
3.1 AMC Members supporting fundraising or other causes shall disclose any personal gain they or their family receive or may receive from the cause being fundraised or supported.
3.2 AMC Members shall inform all parties when a real or potential conflict of interest arises, or when the AMC Member’s impartial judgment is or may be impaired or called into question.
4.0 Disciplinary Procedure
4.0 Investigative Phase:
4.1 All complaints regarding a potential violation of an AMC Member of the AMC Code of Conduct are to be directed to the AMC Board via email at communications@associationofmuslimchaplains.org
4.2 Once a complaint has been received, it shall be assigned to an individual, or panel of 3 members, to investigate the complaint (the “Investigator”). The Investigator must first identify any conflicts of interest, and must recuse themselves if they have any, unless the conflict of interest is waived in writing by the parties.
4.3 The Investigator’s duty is to gather and determine the relevant facts from the individual who is the subject of the complaint and the person who submitted the complaint, plus any witnesses, or relevant documents or evidence.
4.4 At all times during the investigative process, all information regarding the matter must be maintained as confidential.
4.5 At the conclusion of the investigative process, the Investigator will write a summary of the relevant facts, and shall make a specific finding as to whether the facts amount to a violation. If no violation was found the matter shall be closed and will remain confidential.
4.6 If the Investigator finds facts that amount to a violation, the investigator shall also make findings as to the following facts:
A- Was the violation an intentional act (knowing it was wrong), an act of negligence, or an act of ignorance?
B- Is the violation relatively minor, or serious?
C- Was the person cooperative in the investigation?
D- Does the person have a history of violations or inappropriate conduct?
E- Is the person likely to reoffend?
F- Has the person acknowledged their violation and taken responsibility for it?
G- How much damage or harm occurred or could have occurred due to the person’s conduct?
4.7 Finally, the Investigator will make a recommendation as to the consequences for the violation given the totality of factors identified in Section 4.6.
4.8 The AMC Board will then take the recommendations and facts from the Investigator for a final determination.
5.0 Determination Phase
5.1 If the Accused submits additional information or additional information is available or required by the AMC Board, the matter will be referred back to the Investigator for follow up.
5.2 The AMC Board shall make a final determination as to what to do with the findings and recommendations of the Investigator after consultation with legal counsel. The AMC Board reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend or revoke the member’s membership in the organization and take any other action deemed appropriate by the AMC Board.