In an interesting report from a Marine Corps unit, a group of Marines deployed to Jordan had the opportunity to “learn firsthand about Jordanian heritage and culture” at the request of their commander:
The guests of honor were Jordanian Armed Forces Col. Jamel Al Sbool, imam for the Jordanian Armed Forces in the southern region and Very Reverend Nabil Haddad, founder of an Read more
A writer with Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa had a witty beginning to his story on the work of chaplains with their counterparts in the Kenyan military:
A Kenyan catholic priest, Anglican priest, and Muslim imam walk into a chapel.
This is not the start of a joke, but the beginning of a new partnership between Kenyan and U.S. military chaplains…Kenyan army Lt. Col. Alfayo Lelei, Kenyan air force Lt. Col. Lucas Gatobu and Kenyan army Maj. Mohamed Shukry [joined American chaplains] to discuss ways to better serve U.S. and Kenyan service members’ spiritual needs.
While chaplains protect the religious rights of those in the US military, some also serve “strategic” goals of the US military, engaging local religious leaders during conflicts and, as here, helping other nations in the development of their chaplaincies.
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Reuters reported last week that Afghanistan wants NATO to put the “Koran burners” on trial — and Afghanistan reportedly claimed NATO had agreed to a trial, though Reuters qualified the statement as not “immediately verified.”
“NATO officials, in response to a request for the trial and punishment of the perpetrators…promised this crime will brought to court as soon as possible,” Karzai’s office said in a statement.
While it is unlikely NATO actually made such a concession — NATO has already said the burning was “inadvertent” and there is no crime against burning Korans in the Western world — the confusion may be understandable. Even President Obama’s Read more
The recent controversy surrounding the proposed mosque in New York City, including the taxpayer funded trip of the mosque’s imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, has continued to highlight official government support for Islam around the world. A recent article at the Baptist Press notes the use of “taxpayer money” to advance the cause of Islam, even in Afghanistan and Iraq:
“Americans also may be surprised to learn that the United States has been an active participant in mosque construction projects overseas,” The [Washington] Times said.
The US military’s assistance in mosque rebuilding and refurbishment has been discussed here before.