Problems Faced by Imams 0n Duty in Masjids: An Empirical Study on the Eravur Division

Abstract

The lack of concern of the community leaders responsible for fulfilling the interests and needs of the Masjid Imams has created a lot of issues to their livelihoods. The main objective of this study is to comprehend the problems faced by the Imams who are on duty in the masjids of Eravur division. This qualitative research is done depending in both primary and secondary data. Accordingly, the data were collected by interviewing 30 imams from the relevant area and referring the reports obtained from the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Most of the Imams were young aged and half of them have completed the hifl or kithab study with school education from grade 6-11. The main findings of the study are that the monthly salaries they receive were seemed to be less than the per capita income of Sri Lanka and as a result of this they face problems such as job dissatisfaction and job insecurity, homelessness, lack of access to higher education, lack of pension benefits, non-availability of salary on time. Therefore, by increasing the salaries of the Imams and raising their livelihoods may help to resolve these issues. Furthermore, this study provides recommendations in this regard and would help future researchers in this subject area.