Arrested Muslim activist helped pick chaplains for U.S. military

Washington Times ^ | 10/01/03

[kattracks]

A leading Muslim activist arrested for reportedly violating U.S. sanctions against Libya once helped select and train Islamic military chaplains as part of a Pentagon-approved process being investigated by the Defense Department and Congress.

Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi, founder of the American Muslim Council and the American Muslim Foundation, was involved with the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council and the Islamic Society of North America, two groups that selected and trained Muslim clerics for the U.S. military, authorities said.

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP

[dinok]

Our enemies keep their doors closed to us, but we open our doors to our enemies.

[Dialup Llama]

Why does the Washinton Times refer to Hamas terrorists as Muslim 'activists?'

[Chad Fairbanks]

Bttt...

[D-fendr]

At this point, I feel I should just be grateful they're not referred to as "Palestinian Freedom Fighters."

[LasVegasMac]

I've got great news!!

A new Pentagon-approved process is now in place!!

First question asked....

"Are you Muslim?"

"Yes"

"Well that is great. Here are your deportation papers, and a nice big bag of Spicy Pork Rinds for your trip. Now get the F*** out of this country you POS!"

LVM

[xzins]

I'm a retired chaplain....retired 2 years ago so my info is current. The process for picking a chaplain works like this. 1. Aspiring chaplain contacts military about requirements for becoming a chaplain.

2. Military sends info packet that lists these requirements:

a. Graduate of accredited college.
b. Graduate of denominationally approved seminary or equivalent granting a master's degree or equivalent.
c. Full ordination in the denomination/religion so the individual can officially perform all religious rites and roles of that denomination/religion.
d. Completion of any denominationally required period of time serving in civilian setting.

3. Once the aspiring chaplain has met these basic requirements, he/she applies to their denomination to be endorsed to the military as an official representative of their religion.

a. The religion must have already established contact between its endorsing arm and the US Army. If the religion is too small to have an endorser, or if it is an independent religion, then there are endorsing agencies that have been established by cooperating independent/small religions/denominations.
b. The aspiring chaplain sends his/her application packet to his endorser requesting either active or reserve duty. The endorser then sends that packet forward to the US Army with a recommendation about what it thinks is its best qualified candidates.
c. The US Army Chief of Chaplains Office takes all the packets from all the religions/denominations and selects those applicants it believes to be best qualified for the rigors of Army life. Intellectual and Physical fitness are significant criteria.
d. Since the Army contains soldiers from many different religions/denominations, it bears in mind as it selects chaplains that there must be a balance reached denominationally. There are not quotas, however, for different religions. (In the case of a Muslim, for example, there is no quota for a Muslim. The Army bears in mind, however, that it does have Muslim soldiers, so it will keep its eye out for fully qualified Muslim candidates.

4. This problem with the endorser of Chaplain Yee being suspected of nefarious involvement with Islamic Terror is not really an issue for the Army Chaplain Corps. They are required by regulation (law) to deal with the official Muslim denominational hierarchy and its official endorsing agency. The Army Chaplaincy is a small branch (about a 1000 chaplains) and is in no position to investigate anyone, and in fact, have no such authority. Investigating terror suspects, secular or religious, is the responsibility of the FBI, CIA, etc.

5. The Chaplaincy is authorized to require a "secret" level background check on every candidate chosen to enter active or reserve service. This should probably be elevated to a "top secret" requirement.

[xzins]

ping to #8

[aristeides]

Last week, the Defense Department ordered a review of how it recruits chaplains, particularly Muslim clerics endorsed by U.S. groups with reported ties to radical Islam. The Islamic Society of North America and the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council are the only such groups recognized by the Pentagon.

That's good news.

[The Old Hoosier]

Ping for later

[texasbluebell]

Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi, founder of the American Muslim Council and the American Muslim Foundation, was involved with the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council and the Islamic Society of North America, two groups that selected and trained Muslim clerics for the U.S. military, authorities said.

The very same al-Amoudi who funneled $50,000 to the Hillary! for Senate campaign, whereupon one of her little lackeys made sure to employ a typo for the records so that the American Muslim Council became the American Museum Council...

[xzins]

It says there are 2 Muslim endorsing agencies.

There must be a difference between the two. For example, the Methodist endorser and the Southern Baptist endorser are different denominations, and since we are part of this culture, we instantly recognize that.

These 2 Muslim endorsers must be different in some way similar to a denominational difference: Sunni, Shi'ite, perhaps????

[tubavil]

Get muslims OUT of the military.
Get muslims OUT of America.

[Let's Roll]

In our dreams, Mac.

[sheik yerbouty]

Cast the jihadists out!

[XHogPilot]

Outstanding research by kattracks.

References to earlier posts with excellent links:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/992799/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/991964/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/991452/posts

[Fred Mertz]

Thanks for the overview.

[xzins]

No problem.

As you can imagine, I'm following Chaplain Yee's case pretty closely.

This doesn't reflect that much on the Chaplain Corps as it does on the agencies that do background investigations for security checks. I imagine that to get the Gitmo assignment, Chap. Yee had to have a top secret clearance. If so, then where are the red flags raised by that investigation?

I'm embarrassed for the chaplaincy because I think we are naive about the interplay between Islam the religion and Islam the political philosophy. There is no distinction between the two in the Koran. Our insistence on bringing islamic clerics into the active force is not necessary.

I believe this will lead to the end of the chaplaincy as we know it. In the future, I imagine chaplains being in the same position as media reporters.....employed by their own organizations, but embedded at time of war with extremely controlled access. That is probably the best way to do this in terms of the long-range security of the nation.