Armour of God

Imam Asim Hafiz, the first Muslim chaplain to the British Armed Forces and an Islamic advisor for the Ministry of Defence, who has been working with the armed forces since 2004 discusses the many changes which have seen attitudes towards his role shifting according to the political climate and Mandeep Kaur, who was appointed as the first and only Sikh Chaplain for the entire British Armed Forces, reflects on why the idea of military chaplaincy may seem like a difficult job to take on and the impact of the role within faith communities. There are approximately 260 regular and 58 reserve chaplains across the armed forces. They serve personnel dealing with the pressures of being away from home, working in hostile environments and dealing with life and death decisions. How has the service evolved to support the broad range of beliefs represented in the armed forces? And how can religious belief really be balanced with the very real possibility of military action leading to loss of life? To discuss Giles is joined by Roger Hutton, President of Defence Humanists and former Ministry of Defence Director International Security, Dr. Sunil Kariyakarawana, the first Buddhist Chaplain to the British Armed Forces, and the Revd Joanna Jepson, an Anglican priest and a Chaplain to the British Army.Producers: Alexa Good and Linda Walker Editors: Tim Pemberton and Chloe Walker