US Soldiers Learn about Islam, Ramadan

Soldiers in Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC, have been able to take breaks in training on Saturday evenings to attend classes on Islam and Ramadan. Muslim Soldiers attended — and they also invited their fellow Soldiers:

Muslim Soldiers…gathered at the Main Post Chapel Saturday evening to learn about Islam and to partake in the fast breaking, or iftar. They all invited non-Muslim friends.

“I’m here to learn,” said Pvt. Raven McKlintock, a Houston native who identifies as Christian. “I wanted to know more about my battle buddies, so I’ve been coming here since Ramadan started.”

It’s an interesting example of religious freedom in the military, since the Army accommodated not only the Islamic Soldiers, but also the non-Muslim Soldiers who just wanted to observe. Their drill sergeant was nonplussed:

“We have to allow them free exercise of religion and this is just part of it.”

Ironically, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s MRFF (and his research assistant Chris Rodda) have criticized the US military for making these kinds of events “enticing” by providing a break during Basic Training (Rodda called it “conversion by temptation” when one group offered ice cream). Obviously, two hours away from the Drill Sergeant on Saturday night and a casual meal isn’t a bad thing — and it was something non-Muslim Soldiers probably recognized as well.  Of course, Weinstein and Rodda only complain when the group is Christian.  They’ve filed no complaints over Muslim, Jewish, or atheist groups doing the same thing.

Note, too, that Soldiers were free to invite their “battle buddies” to attend — contrary to accusations that religion in the military has to be kept to oneself or confined to the four walls of the chapel.

Naturally, the MRFF won’t demand that anyone be court-martialed over this weekly event, because it doesn’t match Mikey Weinstein’s tin-foil hat conspiracy theory of Christians trying to take over the world.

In the meantime, these Soldiers were free to exercise their religion. Hopefully, Soldiers of other religions were, too.

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3 comments

  • It doesn’t sound from the quote that the drill sergeant was nonplussed (the word means “surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react”) – just the opposite really. What makes you think that the drill sergeant was surprised or confused about the Ramadan service?

    • Nonplussed can also mean, informally, “not disconcerted; unperturbed.” Looks like you can log your “word of the day” for today.

  • From the online Oxford Dictionary: “In standard use nonplussed means ‘surprised and confused’, as in ‘she was nonplussed at his eagerness to help out’. In North American English a new use has developed in recent years, meaning ‘unperturbed’—more or less the opposite of its traditional meaning—as in ‘he was clearly trying to appear nonplussed’. This new use probably arose on the assumption that non- was the normal negative prefix and must therefore have a negative meaning. It is not considered part of standard English.” [emphasis mine]

    I am familiar with the non-standard usage you used, but I generally regard it as erroneous and it’s certainly true that it’s easier for people to understand your writing if you use standard English. Better yet, if a word has two completely opposite meanings, it’s probably best to avoid its use altogether to avoid ambiguity.