Posted on 10/22/2006 7:50:40 PM PDT by World_Events
WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) _ Muslims at the U.S. Military Academy numbered just two in 2001. This year, there are 32.
Now West Point has opened its first space dedicated to Muslims, a worship hall complete with a pulpit facing Mecca. The space officially opened Thursday.
"I knew the Army had a policy of religious tolerance, but I didn't know it was to this extent," said first-year Cadet Ahmed Moomin, 20, from the Maldives.
Until now, Friday prayers were held in an increasingly crowded first-floor office, said Imam Asadullah, the academy's Muslim cleric. The number of Muslim cadets jumped by 10 from last year.
The new hall is large enough for dozens of followers, he said.
West Point's Muslim leaders approached administrators last year for help.
"We live in a world where everyone is looking at the United States saying, 'You're anti-Islam.' But here at West Point, that's not what we do," West Point Chaplain Col. John Cook said.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
I didn't catch that he wasn't American!
What is the benefit of training foreign nationals?
I have no idea, but I would guess it would be the same reasons we have foreign exchange students.
I didn't, did I. Sedition is an act. Identify an act of sedition perpetrated by any of the Muslims at West Point and contact the FBI or the New York State terrorism tips hotline. Here's the number... 1-866-723-3697.
If you REALLY think you have a case here, than put your money where your mouth is and call the number. Then come back and tell us what the response is.
Islamic/Muslim is not an ethnicity. It is an ideology. Like Nazism was not an ethnicity. It was an ideology. Calling someone a moderate muslim is like calling someone a moderate nazi. When the chips are down, who do they give allegence to? To think they would forsake their faith to serve America selflessly is not realistic IMO. The son of a muslim talking about running for president. Muslims entering Westpoint. People being arrested for placing a koran in a toilet? How far is this going to go? Where do they end and we begin? There seems to be no line now. It makes me so sad.
We're in trouble deeper than most can even imagine.
So do we have Americans in officer training schools in Russia, China, Iran, etc.? Or is this a one-way flow of military information.
I did. It is.
"Considering we don't wish to survive as a civilization, I expect their response to be the same as yours."
You mean to tell me you honestly believe muslims at West Point are a threat to our national security, but you are too lazy to punch 11 digits into a phone and at least find out what response you might get to the threat you believe you've so clearly identified? You're so "fired up" about how dangerous this is, you can't even make a phone call. I even gave you the number. Then you whine about our desire to survive as a civilization, yet you don't even have the fortitude to back up your own beliefs. You are a one man tug of war between extreme cowardice and extreme hypocrisy. Unbelievable.
Thank you for informing me. This is a practice I obviously know nothing about.
I found a piece on the Web about a man from Tobago and Trinidad (TT) who got a full scholarship to West Point. Here is an excerpt:
_______
The Siparia born Reid was 18 years old when he enlisted in the school.
He was there from 1994 to 1998, his graduation year.
His story began in May 1994 when he saw an advertisement in a local newspaper requesting TT nationals to apply to obtain full scholarships to West Point Military Academy.
At that time nationals were also being asked to apply to join the three other top American training schools namely the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the US Air Force Academy in Boulder, Colorado and the American Coast Guard Academy.
"After I passed my A' Levels at Presentation College, San Fernando, I enlisted in the TT army as an officer cadet," he said.
"And then the option became available for nationals to join the US Military Service academies and so I said to myself why not, I'll give it a try?"
"I told myself that I had as good a chance as anybody else to be accepted into West Point."
Reid went through the process of sitting the SAT exams to West Point and he passed them thus earning his scholarship to America's best military school. He revealed that a very small number of foreigners are accepted into West Point.
"Over 200 countries from all over the world can apply to West Point but only a handful of foreigners are taken because it's extremely competitive for Americans, let alone foreigners to get in there."
In filtration is the only word that comes to my mind.
"In filtration is the only word that comes to my mind."
Some - in fact most - probably are "Muslims in name only".
Unfortunately, how do you know? How do you know they won't decide to start actually following their faith? We can't know. That's the problem.
By definition...an act.
"2386. Registration of certain organizations"
Um. That section is a description of who must register with the Attorney General, and it specifically excludes religious organizations.
"Boy have you missed the point of this whole exercise here."
Really? I believe I started "this whole exercise" when I asked for someone to provide legal justification West Point can use to exclude Muslims from West Point.
"I'd really like to see you call me coward to my face.... "
Really? You've spent post after post ranting about our government's refusal to act against an known enemy, but when I provide you with a means that you personally can use to take action, you refuse. You are either scared to dial the phone or you are a hypocrite. At this point, I suspect both. Don't just bow up. Prove me wrong.
It's just a very unusual belief system that is more American than Middle Eastern.
What will an Infantry muslim platoon leader due during a battle when the afternoon prayers are due? I sure hope it is not- men take that hill or objective while I pray.
You got it. We need to take away TS clearances from many in the House and a number in the Senate,too. The MSM thinks it is just fine to plaster TS info all over the news, and; we already have too many leaking traitors in this country. What does the left want-TSN and TSC's or higher for all journalists?
C'mon, people. Is that the best you can do? "He might decide to pray in the middle of a battle?"
There have been Muslims in the US Armed Forces for a number of years. Can you find a case of one giving himself a time out during a combat operation so he can pray while men under his command or in his charge are executing tactical maneuvers? The cadre at USMA have four years to detect this type of behavior in cadets. If Johnny Jihad -- well, let's call him Percy Prayer now -- if Percy Prayer makes it through USMA, Airborne, IOBC, etc. without taking prayer breaks, he's probably not going to pick up the habit while deployed. And if he does, he'll be relieved, same as any other leader who refuses to lead. The platoon daddy will take the hill and continue to lead the platoon until such time as another officer is appointed PL.
I expected grandiose plots involving Manchurian candidates, dead drops, and Hasan-i-Sabah giving orders from up in his mountain. But you bring me, "They might decide to take a prayer break." That's weak. In any case, even pious Muslims may miss prayers during times of necessity or travel, then make them up later by praying or with good deeds. Their religion was founded by a desert warrior, and he made allowances for those kinds of things. Our Army was clever enough to recruit some Muslim chaplains to work out the remaining details.
infiltrate
One entry found for infiltrate.
4 : to enter or become established in gradually or unobtrusively usually for subversive purposes intransitive verb : to enter, permeate, or pass through a substance or area by filtering or by insinuating gradually
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