American Muslims play their part in the armed forces
Originally published in the February 19-25, 1995 edition of The Middle East Times.
In addition to the relatively light touch of a non-native English speaker’s copy editing this time around, notice that the basic assumptions of the post-edit story are that Muslim rites are known to the readers, while things Americans would take for granted — that there are multiple types of Christians, for instance — have to be spelled out for the predominantly Muslim and international readership of the paper.
The U.S. Army has 1,338 chaplains: 1,178 Protestant Christians of various types, 139 Roman Catholic priests, 9 Orthodox Christian preachers, 11 Jewish rabbis … and one Muslim imam.
Appointed last year, Abdel-Rashid Mohammed is the U.S. armed services’ first Muslim military chaplain. And as someone born a Christian, he never dreamed he’d be “the one who the Divine would choose to make history.” He now caters to the spiritual needs of the estimated 10,000 Muslims currently serving in the U.S. armed forces.
“In the Army, we try to reflect the American people in our ranks,” says Chaplain Colonel William L. Hufham, the deputy director of the Chaplain Support Agency. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States.
Hufham says Buddhists in the American military will probably have a chaplain of their own in 1995.
Having Muslim clerics serving the troops “has been in the works for a long, long time,” adds Lieutenant Colonel Dough Hart of the U.S. Defense Department’s Office of Public Affairs.
Part of the problem was finding a religious sponsor for a Muslim chaplain. Although the number of American Muslims has skyrocketed n recent years, there are still only 1,100 mosques in America.
“It took some time to find out what would be the proper sponsoring organization, and the military has specific requirements for officers,” says Hart, “So it was quite a long process.”
That long process bore fruit.
Mohammed, a Sunni Muslim, was recommended by the American Muslim Federation, a coalition of American Islamic groups that was officially recognized as a sponsoring body by the Armed Forces Chaplain’s Board in 1991.
Mohammed, 41, was raised a Baptist Christian in Buffalo, New York, and converted to Islam in 1974. Chosen from 45 candidates, he began his chaplain’s training in late January 1994. He underwent a modified version of the basic American military training, received counseling training and learned hospital ministry.
Mohammed is no stranger to the U.S. military, however. He was formerly an Army sergeant for eight years.
The commissioning of a Muslim chaplain has meant some official changes for the Army. The chaplain’s seal on uniforms was made more generic: the Christian cross and Jewish Star of David were removed in favor of an open book and a dove.
The U.S. armed forces have long attempted to accommodate different religious groups where possible, says Hart.
“As long as religious requirements do not conflict with the requirements of the military, we have no problem.”
Which is not always the case.
In 1993, an American court sided with the military against a group of Sikhs who alleged religious discrimination. The Sikh faith forbids the cutting of hair or beards, and requires that turbans be worn.
The court said the military’s needs outweighed those of the Sikhs. The problem, according to Hart, was “Gas masks don’t fit well over beards, and that sort of thing.” Some Muslim men believe that the wearing of a beard is a distinguishing characteristic of a Muslim male.
The Muslim’s duty of salat, praying towards Mecca five times a day, and requirements of a pork-free diet poses no great problem for military procedures.
Military field rations, known as Meals Read to Eat, or MREs, are now available in special versions to meet the dietary needs of both Jews and Muslims.
“In all cases, we try to help the people, give them time off for all the holidays,” says Hart.
Last year, 75 enlisted Muslims made their pilgrimage to Mecca aboard a military aircraft.
This year, a memo from the Armed Forces Chaplain’s Board circulated to chiefs of chaplains to explain the holy month of Ramadan, and what to expect.
Muslim service personnel were allowed to request release from duty at least half an hour before sunset to prepare for iftar and for after-sunset prayer.
They were also allowed to request exemption from participation in rigorous daily physical training and field training exercises, and a liberal leave policy was recommended for the duration of Ramadan.
The U.S. military has well-established procedures for countering prejudice within its ranks; a combination of education and punitive action.
“We do everything in our power to keep those sorts of things from happening,” says Hart. He could not find any record of military personnel complaining of discrimination against them for following Islam, although others say there have been difficulties.
“Definitely there are problems,” says Abdel-Rahman Alamoudi, director of the Washington D.C.-based American Muslim Council (AMC). “We think it is an issue of ignorance. As we speak to the military and educate them, the progress comes.”
Officially, there are only about 2,500 people who have designated themselves as Muslims in the military today, says Hart. But the real figure is much higher.
“You have to remember that announcing your religious preference [when enlisting] is only an option,” he says.
Of the 1.7 million or so men and women in the military, 81 percent describe themselves as Christians, while 15 percent declare no preference.
“Unfortunately, we do need a lot of education in the military,” says Alamoudi. “There are a lot of Muslims who have not come out of the closet, because they are still fearful” of discrimination.
“During the war against Iraq, we had a few problems with Muslim personnel who abstained from going.”
While some Muslims who did not want to fight against the Iraqis claimed the legal protection of being conscientious objectors to the war, others simply went Absent Without Leave — a serious crime in America which can result in court-martial and imprisonment.
A misunderstanding on the part of non-Muslims led to two Muslim sailors who were praying in Arabic aboard ship being accused of conspiring against the U.S.-led alliance. The AMC’s legal staff stepped in, however, and the sailors were never brought to trial.
While he does not paint a perfect picture of Muslim life in the military, Alamoudi is positive about the prospects for the future of Muslims in the military and calls the ordination of a Muslim chaplain a milestone.
“I hope we will get to the day when there are no problems,” he says. “I can say that the leadership of the military has been very helpful in attempting to solve these problems.”
Mohammed, along with his wife and six children, was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Although estimates vary, about 500 of the 50,000 soldiers stationed there are Muslims. Previously, they had to go off-post for Friday prayers or attend prayers on-post led by laymen.
Fort Bragg also has the distinction of having the army’s only female rabbi among its 80 chaplains.
“it is an excellent chance for the country in general to learn about Islam,” says Mohammed. “I feel honored God has chosen me to carry on my shoulders this great responsibility.”
His appointment is an “important achievement in American history, Islamic history and for the history of black Muslims especially.
“I will do all I possibly can to meet the needs of Muslim soldiers, including allowing women to wear the hegab … allowing Muslim conscripts to perform prayers and the Ramadan fast … without that conflicting with the security duties of the unit in which they serve,” he vows.
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