Posted on 09/08/2008 5:37:37 PM PDT by SandRat
BAGHDAD, Sept. 8, 2008 The most frequent question soldiers ask Chaplain (Maj.) Ibraheem Raheem is the meaning behind the crescent moon patch on his Army combat uniform.
In fact, the patch does distinguish Raheem as one of a special group of soldiers. He is one of only six Muslim chaplains serving in the U.S. Army, and is the only one deployed to Iraq. His service as both a Muslim and an American soldier, he said, can lead to confusion for some people, both in the military and in local communities. After you talk to people and explain a few things to them, they get it, Raheem said. That is, after breaking down a whole bunch of walls that have been put up in peoples minds. Though Muslim soldiers sometimes struggle with the issues of service and faith, Raheem said he and the soldiers to whom he ministers have found ways to reconcile their religious beliefs with their military service. Most people understand that theres a difference between serving in the military and deliberately going to fight in a particular place for a religious-based reason. Our military is not religiously based. Most people can see that theres a difference there, he said. Raheem can relate easily to the problems of both his enlisted and non-Muslim soldiers. Raised in a Baptist household in Kansas City, Kan., he spent his first 12 years in the Army as an enlisted soldier in the Medical Corps. In a way it was that experience, he said, that led him to become a chaplain. The medical field was the first thing that jumped out at me, because you get to help people who are sick, he said. I dealt with a lot of death and illness. It brought me closer to my spiritual upbringing. Though working in an intensive care unit gave Raheem the opportunity to help people, he said, he found there were other kinds of help people needed, too. There was a lot of advanced equipment, but it wasnt always saving people, he said. At the end of the day, God is the one who determines if a person pulls through or not. Seeing the work that Army chaplains performed at the hospital inspired Raheem to seek a new path. I felt like thats when I got my calling to be a chaplain, he said. The journey would not be complete, however, until Raheem accepted the Islamic faith. "I started studying the Bible in college, and later began learning about other faiths," he recalled. "When I came across Islam, I went to visit a mosque. A member there gave me a Koran and told me, 'Go and read this, and come back if you have any questions. I came back the next day with questions, and every day thereafter, each time getting the answers from the Koran until I eventually accepted the faith." In reading the Koran, Raheem said, he discovered not a rejection of his older faith, but rather a faith resonated more deeply with his beliefs. "I came to realize that the message it contained was what I had always believed from the days I was a child, he explained. For instance, that there was only one God that has no images, that the same divine message was given to Noah, Moses, Abraham, David, Jesus and Muhammad. That Adam and Eve were forgiven, and their sins were not passed on to other generations, nor were women blamed only for disobeying God. So it was like a confirmation of what I always believed in my heart my whole life." After completing seminary school, Raheem received his commission, realizing his ambition to become a chaplain. His acceptance of the Muslim faith had not only changed his career path, but also affected his entire outlook on life. "My experience with Islam opened my mind to the world, its diversity and its many social challenges, he said. Before Islam, I only thought of the people in my neighborhood; after Islam, I thought of the entire world." Raheem is on his third deployment to Iraq since 2003. Attached to the Iraqi Assistance Group, he performs services and counsels Muslim soldiers at Camp Victory, where he is based. He holds a prayer service there every Friday, but also takes his work into the field, finding other Muslim soldiers who otherwise would not have access to his services. He brings copies of the Koran with him, and as part of his mission, he also collects damaged copies to be repaired and redistributed to Iraqi citizens. During the holy month of Ramadan thats now under way, Raheem travels to as many parts of Iraq as possible to tend to Muslim soldiers spiritual needs. He estimates there are fewer than 300 Muslim soldiers currently deployed. That means he has to cover a lot of ground. Its hard being the only [Muslim chaplain], and there are people spread out in many different places, he said. Depending on transportation availability, weather and other factors, you may or may not get to a certain place. While visiting bases around Iraq, Raheem performs services and provides counseling for soldiers, as he does at Camp Victory. Ill be getting out and trying to support the soldiers who are out there trying to practice, he said. I realize that its hard being one of the few people on the forward operating base that has a different religion, so I try to get out there with them and give them some encouragement. (Army Sgt. David Turner serves in the Multinational Division Center Public Affairs Office.) |
Related Sites: Multinational Corps Iraq |
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This Chaplin by joking diverts attention from the puzzle of the primary symbol of Islam The truth may well be an embarrassment. Here are some ideas.
It is clear from archeology that the moon was a symbol of ancient pagan religions. Bad PR for Islam one would think. The symbol also confirms the view that the author of the Quran was a created being because he swears by bits of creation such as the moon. In surah 74:32 he calls the moon to witness.
Yahweh by way of contrast swears by Himself, because there is nothing greater than Himself.
Not a good look for a religion seeking acceptance by the thoughtful.
Dont get me started on that chief pagan idol in the kaba named Hubal and its links to Allah/Mohammad....
Interesting article.
There is some truth in what you say, Jude, but there is no requirement...and there cannot be one, because the first issue with any member of the military will remain the standards and needs of that branch of service.
What many don't know is that chaplains are nominated to the military by their religion's nominating group (called an endorser.) First, if that religion doesn't HAVE a nominating group, then they don't get ANY of their chaplains into the service. The government would be prevented from evaluating religious strengths and weaknesses of prospective military members for obvious reasons. Therefore, the denomination must weigh those religious things and forward the names of those they consider to be qualified representatives of their faith group.
At that point, the military chaplaincy might LIKE to have representatives of all kinds of faith groups, but they are restricted by the needs and standards of the military. For example, the military has health, age, capability, and physical fitness standards. If candidates are nominated who don't meet those standards, then the military simply cannot bring them on.
Invariably, the military will look first at those who are fully qualified, and then it will look at those who are best qualified. If none are fully qualified, then they won't be brought into service.
Additionally, the needs of the military are determined by the force that they have on hand. For example, if less than 1% of their troops are Muslim, then they must consider that in bringing on Muslim chaplains. I'm guessing that the Army has a total of approx 1400 chaplains. One percent of that number is about 14. Spread across the entire world that's not too many. Therefore, they cannot always have these "low density" chaplains everyplace every Muslim soldier might be assigned. (The tendency would be to have them at higher echelons....division, corps, support units etc., so they can move more easily from area to area.)
On the other hand, our most numerous denomination in the military was "baptistic." After that would be Catholic. There's a strong need for both of these, but there is still the requirement to meet the standards.
Something others might not know is that your denomination can fire you from the military by declaring you no longer an acceptable representative of their denomination. That person will probably be gone from the military within the year. The only way they could stay would be to immediately find another denomination to accept them AND to move to the head of their line of nominees. Additionally, the losing denomination must agree. (Generally, if you get fired by your denomination, they have a reason.)
Incidentally, Klingenschmitt, the navy chaplain many think was released from the Navy for praying in Jesus' name, was fired by his denomination. That is the reason he was released from active duty. At that point the Navy had no choice.
I'm not sure that is always allowed, especially in a combat zone. In many cases, especially when a unit is on the move, that would be impractical or potentially dangerous to the serviceman.
We're a religiously pluralistic nation and there are Muslims serving in our military. I see nothing wrong with the military trying to meet their religious needs, as they do for other religions.
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