US Navy Chaplain (LtCmdr) Abuhena Saifulislam was recently part of US Central Command’s Exercise Eager Lion 12, where he was able to work with the Jordanian military and their religious leaders.

 He

got a first-hand look at how other countries handle the intricacies of mixing Islam and military life at a religious leaders’ conference…[which] allowed Jordanian and U.S. chaplains to share information on day-to-day operations, the use of chaplains’ assistants, and how to balance military and religious responsibility.

The chaplain, whose name has the interesting translation of “Sword of Islam,” said the Jordanian imams were curious about his exposure to other religious groups and his experiences holding a minority faith.

US military chaplains protect the Constitutionally protected rights of religion of US troops, but they also do much more.