Chaplain (Ens) Asif Balbale is a Muslim Chaplain — in fact, the only one — at Camp Pendleton.  He shares his unique religious position at the base with Chaplain Shin, the Navy’s only Buddhist Chaplain.

The Chaplain seems to have a solid grasp of his role, which includes religious training of military members:

Part of my job is to educate people on what it means to be a Muslim.

He’s absolutely correct, of course, just as other Chaplains’ jobs include educating people about what it means to be a Christian, Jew, Buddhist, etc.  The cultural understanding required to foster the appropriate atmosphere in the pluralistic military environment requires that military members understand what it means to be a particular faith.  Unfortunately, some organizations have disagreed and have attempted to neuter Chaplains’ roles to the equivalent of a “moral hall monitor.”

Balbale’s entry into the ministry took a circuitous path:

Balbale…was intending to apply for officer candidate school when he mistakenly sent an e-mail to a chaplain recruiter.

That led to an extended conversation with the recruiter, and a subsequent meeting in Okinawa with a Muslim chaplain.

Balbale has an interesting and admirable perspective on his service, and it is one that many people of faith share:

“God has put me in the place where he wants me to be,” he said. “I can’t think of any job like this one where I can serve my country, my God and my religion all at once.”

Christians aren’t the only ones who mix their faith and their profession.  Ironically, Chaplain Balbale reportedly drives a car with an Islamic scripture on the rear window, written in Arabic.  According to one military “religious freedom” group, the MRFF’s Richard Baker, that is a coercive and unconstitutional display of religion and should be prohibited; at least, that is, if its a Christian symbol.