Tag Archives: Iraq

US Army Soldier Practices Faith, Keeps His Duties

A US Army article highlights the faith and work ethic of PFC Ajmal Zada, an adherent of Islam who is observing Ramadan while still supporting his combat unit in Iraq.

Zada notes he joined the Army with trepidation over how his religious beliefs would be accepted:

“When I first joined the military, I was scared that I was not going to be allowed to practice my religion,” Zada explained, describing his initial fear of enlisting. “But my chain of command and the chaplains have all been very helpful and supportive, and I have had no problems.”

Not only has the US Army been supportive of Zada’s religious freedom, his Read more

Soldier: The Lord had Something Else Planned for Me

An Army.mil article describes the story of the crew of a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle, or MRAP, that was struck by a vehicle borne IED.  The three Soldiers were Sgt. Victor Pamplona (driver), Spc. Chad Mitschelen (gunner), and Sgt. Juan Montelongo (truck commander), and they were deployed to Iraq.

The article briefly covers the explosion and aftermath.  One of the more interesting parts of the story is the varied reactions of the three-man crew.

Pamplona recalled the incident through a theological lens.  Read more

US Marine Converts to Islam in Iraq

As noted at the Huffington Post, US Marine Anthony Vance deployed to Iraq and soon became Ibrahim Mohamed, a new convert to Islam.

Mohamed felt the pull toward the faith strengthen in Iraq — “the heart of the Islamic world,” as he says — and he reached out to the Muslim contractors on his base and started learning about the precepts of the Quran.

Convinced that he was being called to Islam, he officially became a Muslim while Read more

US Military Buddhists Gather in Iraq

While many understand that Christian US military chapel services occur in locations throughout the world, some may not realize that a variety of minority faiths are represented as well.

This announcement from Balad highlights the Buddhist services beginning this month.  In other locations, “earth based,” Hindu, and even atheist services are held to support the needs of local servicemembers.

The US military is made up of those of many faiths, and those faiths are practiced even within the military around the world.

Via the Buddhist Military Sangha and ArmyChaplaincy.com.

President Obama Hosts Ramadan Iftar

Though facing some criticism for ‘ignoring’ Easter this year, President Obama hosted a White House iftar breaking the Ramadan fast last week.  From his statement at the event:

Tonight is part of a rich tradition here at the White House of celebrating the holy days of many faiths…People of different faiths coming together, with humility before our maker, to reaffirm our obligations to one another, because no matter who we are, or how we pray, we’re all children of a loving God.

The President recalled the sacrifice of Army Specialist Kareem Khan, whom he also highlighted at the same event in 2009.  Khan, an American Soldier and Muslim, was killed in action in Iraq in 2007.

Jews in the Military

The Algemeiner, a self-described Jewish newspaper, recently had an interesting article chronicling the military service of Jews in the world’s and the US military.

The reason for the article was to address a historical meme:

Throughout history, a common anti-Semitic method of incitement has been to accuse Jews of being unpatriotic. This was often largely expressed in the accusation that Jews were unwilling to join their military.

After a bit of history, the article explains the demographics of the military Read more

“Terror Plot” Soldier Naser Abdo Defiant, Weinstein Equivocates

US Army PFC Naser Abdo, arrested last week on charges he was planning to blow up a restaurant and kill Soldiers near Fort Hood, Texas, was defiant at his court appearance.

Abdo…refused to stand up during Friday’s hearing when everyone in the court was asked to rise for the judge.

As he was being led out of the courtroom, he yelled out “Iraq 2006” and the name of the 14-year-old Iraqi girl who was raped and murdered in 2006 by a U.S. soldier. He then shouted: “Nidal Hasan Fort Hood 2009.”

Organizations that had previously supported Abdo in his objector application have now disavowed him:

“If any of these allegations are true, any sort of violence toward anyone goes completely against what a conscientious objector believes,” said Jose Vasquez, executive director of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Another group, Read more

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