Muslims in the military
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- November
- 11
In light of this being Veteran’s Day and the continuing grief over Fort Hood, I wanted to cite a Washington Post article about Muslims in the military.
The Post’s Michelle Boorstein reports that “3,557 members of the 1.4 million-member U.S. armed forces describe themselves as Muslim.”
She summarizes:
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Active and retired Muslim service members recalled difficulties concerning their religion but said they cannot relate to the extreme isolation and harassment described by Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, the suspect in last week’s Fort Hood slayings. They also said they hope the killings do not roll back the progress they have seen.
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And:
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Interviews with Muslims revealed a range of experiences. Some choose to keep their faith private; others seek out superiors and chaplains who can help them worship even on duty. Some blamed other Muslims for not working to fit into military culture.
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Sgt. Fahad Kamal, 26, who served as a combat medic in Afghanistan, described what happened when another solider called him a “terrorist” during basic training: “I knew he was just kidding, but the drill sergeant overheard him. He made him apologize in front of the entire company…I felt guilty, because I knew he was just joking. But I was also happy to see how seriously they took it.”
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 2:51 pm by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
