Religious Orientation of Muslim Soldiers in the United States Armed Forces

By EAS Bokhari

HRH Gen Prince Khalid Bin Sultan has indicated that during the Gulf War 1991 there were a fair amount of US troops who embraced Islam mainly due to the purity of this religion. And some of the figures which he had provided in his most readable book are only about the personnel who took part in the Gulf War - 1991. Incidently the recruitment in the US Armed Forces is independent of religious faith - and it is not obligatory to indicate this at the time of entering services.

Gen Khalid writes in his scintillating book "The Desert Warrior" a second issue on which Schwarzkopf showed welcome sensitivity was that of Muslims in the American Forces. During the month crisis lasted, I learned with interest that quite a large number of American servicemen and women had converted to Islam, no doubt influenced by the contacts they had made with our civil population. They would visit the religious authorities and declare themselves publicly as Muslim ... Schwarzkopf would come to me at intervals and say 'Now you have got 175'. Eventually there were more than 2000 of them.

Purely from management point of view - and the rapid conversion to Islam (notwithstanding Schwarzkopf) seems to have made a very rational request to Prince Khalid. "Khalid, I'm upset. I have a complaint to make. I hear you are sending all Muslims troops to Makkah. I want the Muslims in my forces to go too". This was in 1991- and the number as I have indicated above relates to troops assigned to Gulf war.

Dec 3 - 1994 could be considered as historic day at the Pentagon when Imam Abdul - Rasheed Muhammad was commissioned as the first Islamic chaplain in the US Armed Forces. (In the US armed forces, a leader of any religion officially assigned to a military unit is called a 'Chaplain'.)

After this momentous event - Imam Ghayith-Nur-Kashif of the Masjid al-Shura in Washington called Muhammad's appointment as 'one of the finest hours' for the Army, and for America. The reserve captain took the oath of his office and displayed the lapels - the silver Islamic crescent which was the newest military insignia. And thus he spoke on his commissioning "... that his commissioning will be symbol of the future in terms of building the bridge of peace and prosperity throughout the world amongst great religions..."

His first sermon (Khutba) on 3 Dec 1994 to the army was focussed on finding sacredness amid chaos. Muhammad will also be a director of the Armed Forces Chaplain's Board outside Christianity and Judaism. Army Colonel Herman Keizer also said "... This reflected the growing number of Muslims in the services over the past 10 years. It mirrors growth in the US society ... Where Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States."

One cannot be sure of the figures as of 1994 - the comments of Air Force Lt Col Dough Hart are interesting. Hart said "... the Defence Department estimates that approximately 3,000 Muslims are in uniform." But then Mr Abdul Rahman Alamoudi - executive director of the American Muslims Council, believes the number is closer to 10,000. While the number of Muslims is increasing in the military, some Muslims do not publicly disclose their religion - and the services do not require them to do so.

As I have indicated earlier on conversion to Islam achieved a great fillip during the Gulf War 1991 - but then the linkage of Muslims with the bombing of the World Trade Centre apparently put some brake on this too - and some soldiers did not openly practice their true religion i.e. Islam for fear of persecution.

Muhammad the chaplain is a highly qualified man - with a master degree in counselling from San Diego State University and a second one in social work from the University of Michigan. He was enlisted as chaplain's assistant in 1982. He will have to undergo further training in the US Army Chaplain Center and School - where grounding is provided in diverse disciplines like pluralism, world religions, land navigation and worship in the combat environments.

His wife and six children - they are expecting the arrival of yet another - will follow him to his new assignment in North Carolina, and after completion of his training he will report to 18th Air Borne Corps where there are 100 Muslim soldiers in uniform at Fort Bragg. He is a Sunni Muslim and has been an Imam since 1978.

In his new role as a goodwill Islamic ambassador - he envisions a "tremendous opportunity to present the message of Islam in the correct manner ... to the military population." He is keen that the service needs of the Muslim soldiers are met - and the women can use the traditional 'Hejab' as long as it does not affect their health. Of course he will ask the Muslim soldiers that their diet should be Islamic.

He would also recommend to the authorities that less rigorous physical training should be carried out in the month of fasting.

US Navy will also follow the army lead - and the first such Naval Chaplain is Legalman First Class Malik Noel who had served in the Gulf War 1991 - but could not perform Hajj.

Finally interest about Islam is increasing in the Military in USA which should do a lot of good to the religion and Islamic tolerance the world over.