Can this Man be Trusted? (Swiss Press Text 2019, by Aline Wanner) - Swiss Press Award
Die ZEIT Schweiz
Aline Wanner
The question forms the main thread of this story. The man’s name is Kaser Alasaad. In 2013 he fled to Switzerland from Syria and works as an imam in Volketswil. Aline Wanner followed the 45-year-old for one year, as he attended a new degree programme at the University of Bern to become a spiritual adviser “in the context of migration”. He is to be a Muslim spiritual counsellor who can help other Muslims “underpinned with an understanding of native Christianity”. This is only an appropriate pathway for those who do not have radical leanings. There is an entrance exam to preclude this, and, in addition, the candidates for pastoral care in federal asylum centres are reviewed by the intelligence service. Kaser is not suspect, but the author is repeatedly beset by doubts resulting from various incidents and even after discussions with experts her doubts are not laid to rest. Kaser professes to be a moderate Muslim. The question of whether he can be trusted remains open, and the story ends with the imam signing up for further education.
Interview with Aline Wanner
