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A Few Good Men . . . and Women

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American Muslims are making strides in the military. In 1987, in response to the number of Muslims serving in the Armed Forces, the Department of Defense began seeking Muslim chaplains to assist Muslims in the military.

``By even the lowest estimates, there are currently well over 13,000 Muslims serving in the U.S. Armed Forces,’’ said Qaseem A. Uqdah, Executive Director of the American Muslim Council’s (AMC) American Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council. Exact estimates of the current number of Muslims serving in the Armed Forces is difficult to ascertain because of the reluctance of many to declare their religious denomination.

The American Muslim Council has been a strong supporter of appointing Muslim chaplains in the Armed Forces. The AMC’s Armed Forces and Veteran’s Affairs was established to facilitate the religious needs of Muslims serving in the Armed Forces. As a result of the work of the AMC in promoting Muslim chaplaincy in the Armed Forces, Captain Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad became the first Muslim Chaplain of the U.S. Army and of the U.S. military in December of 1993.

On August 8, 1996 Lieutenant Junior Grade Monje Malak Abd-al-Muta Ali Noel, Jr., was sworn in as the first Muslim Chaplain of the U.S. Navy. Noel was also responsible for the construction of the first mosque on a naval station. Last year, the mosque hosted Eid ul-Fitr, the celebration of the end of Ramadan, at the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia and invited the area’s 2,500 Muslims to attend.

Since the assimilation of Muslim chaplains into the military, the Islamic symbol of the crescent and star has been added among the religious insignia already represented. In the Armed Forces, chaplains from all religious faiths work together and assist soldiers of all denominations. Muslim chaplains in the military have not only assisted those Muslims currently serving in the military but also function as a means of educating non-Muslims about the Islamic faith. Currently, there is one Muslim chaplain on active duty in the Navy, and two in the Army.

``We have three chaplains on active duty…this fall insha’Allah (God willing) we should have the first Air Force chaplain come on active duty as well as a few more chaplains in other branches,’’ said Uqdah.

On January 22, 1998, the first Iftaar, or breaking of the fast, was held in the Pentagon due to the joint efforts of the Pentagon Chaplains Office and the AMC’s Armed Forces and Veteran’s Affairs Council. ``Muslims are being accepted in the Army at least by the Pentagon. Muslims can go to Hajj, have prayer areas and centers, can get halal (Islamically prepared) meals, have a Muslim lay person in areas that do not have an Islamic chaplain,’’ said Eugene Hassan Hazer, a retired US Air Force Civil Service program manager.