So many times people forget there are Muslims of many origins, colors, races, Nationalities, Ethnicities and even social statuses. I don’t understand why other people are either American or Mexican or Mexican American (in my case) whenever a topic or issue arises, however be a Muslim and all that goes out. We Muslims are not super heroes (I’d like to be) We are human, and unfortunatly we have baggage, issues, and cultural and well as social issues that affect us even though Only religion teaching should.

Unfortunatly the reality is when I voice my opinion or act a certian type of way, it is because of EVERYTHING I am that shaped me and my views not because I am a Muslimah only. That goes for all Muslims and all of humanity as well.

I also agree with Br Yusuf’s last comment about the shade of grey.

We all as God’s creations need to use the brain he gave us and stop doing what we accuse others of, which is boxing everything up into black and white generalizations, There is a grey.

BTW Mabrook on you’re Shahadah.

Myself? I am a revert of mixed Mexican/British descent, who reverted while deployed to the Middle East years ago.

One morning, I heard the adhan, and found it very beautiful-I started my studying and a few months later made my Shahada amongst Kuwait Air Force and Army men. It was the positivity that I encountered within the Muslim community in Kuwait that helped me the most.

I still believe that Muslims in the military can only be a positive, who would you rather have in your country? Think about it, think of the role that Muslims in the US military can play when in a country such as Iraq, or Afghanistan, they can be a bond between the local nationals and the US, where they can truly be considered “Peace Keepers”.

Plus, it is Muslims in an influential role within the American society. There are people that have never met a Muslim, and their attitudes develop from whatever tripe that see or hear on right-wing media outlets, we as Muslims need to be more visible, more open.

What was it that contributed to the prejudices and pogroms on the Jews? the fact that for the most part they were an inuslar community that was hostile at times to outsiders, over time it developed suspcions amongst the Christian populations, this is where we need to be a tad different and show that we have nothing to hide, battle all the right-wingers with words, show the error in their ways, and show them to be the true extremists they are.

As far as the shootings at Fort Hood, As soon as I heard about it, I was worried, my wife called me and she was worried as was her family (she is Iraqi, but that is a whole other story:). So i drove to the base, expecting higher security postures, etc, Nothing, nothing different from any other day, got into my section, nothing different at all, no stares, no foaming at the mouth from any of the other guys, nothing-The media has grasped onto the possibility of backlash occuring, has it happened? I am sure, at the hands of some unbalanced extremists, just like Post 9/11 the insane people that would try to take the law into their hands are in the minority.

I also want to address what Idris82 said above, “This is why spreading the knowledge of the religion is so important. Right now instead of strapping bombs to our chest blowing ourselves up we should be spreading the religion.”

What better place than the US Miltiary to spread the religion?:)

Did the Ft. Hood incident have an impact on how you being dealt with (officially and by peers)?

Pls feel free to provide any other perspectives as a Muslim in the US military. I at least am finding these comments quite enlightening.

Honestly, I think every recruit when they are in basic training becomes “religious”, and I will further say that the minority of those people retain that “religiousness” after basic. When I went through basic training, the majority of other enlistees, would go to a different religious service every weekend, not because they were on a quest or something of that nature, but just to get out of having to clean up the dorm. In Air Force basic training, there is a multitude of worship opportunities available for recruits in basic training, everything under the sun is represented, and maybe I just had a very positive experience or it is the norm, but no religion was ever forced on me, no one tried to force Christianity on me. The chaplins that I dealt with, as a rule, would try to be a “spiritually neutral” as possible, (if that makes sense).

Maybe in the Air Force, in which I serve things are a tad bit different in comparison to the Army, Marines, Navy etc. The Air Force tends to attract people that are usually a bit more open-minded, so the evangelical fascism is usually something that is poked fun at, and/or not taken seriously. Outside of the proselytizing episode that went on at the US Air Force Academy, which was discussed in the documentary Constantine’s Sword, I haven’t heard of that much. Once it was found out what was going on at the Academy, the US Air Force immedialty addressed the issue and released a regulation barring that behaviour.

The majority of that video seemed to address the Army, which the people in it that were involved in proselytizing have been punished, as that is a violation of General Order Number One, which goes into effect in deployed locations, most briefings that are recieved upon arrival in the Middle East or Afghanistan, include the caveat, “Do not discuss religion with host nation people”. The people that do this evangelical thing, I can def say are in the minority, and stick out like a sore thumb.

Can someone get out of the military as an objector. Yes, I have seen it done multiple times in my unit, and no, none of them were Muslims, just people who did not want to be in the military-He had an option to get out, he chose not to pursue it, maybe because he did not want to be concerned about paying back the schools that the Army had payed for him to go. Maybe there was some insulting actions towards him, but at his level as an officer, he is very easy to remedy that situation.

I know, that within my unit, I had heard a few comments, because I am allowed to grow a beard in the military (one of the few:), the comments made were out of ignorance, the average non-Muslim military person has no clue outside of what they hear on the news (if they even watch the news). So once i address their comments and throw a little education there way, things are fine. This more or less proves my point that the average person in the military given a little education can Case in Point: I was in pre-deployment training to go to Iraq to train Iraqi Police, I do pray 5 times a day, even when I am doing military things, training or whatever, my unit here is used to it, and seem to enjoy the “multi-culturalism” I bring with me (hahaha). Anyway, I was with about 100 people that for the most part never had a face to face conversation with a Muslim, in my squad, after a few guys saw me praying, they became really curious, and were very open to hear about what Islam is. We grew together throughout the training to the point, when they could tell when it was salat time, and when we were in the field they would be tripping over each other, to get out their GPS’s or compasses and point me in the right direction to Qibla.

So are there people in the military with an Anti-Muslim agenda-I would say it is a very small number. As far as actually, really hating Muslims and that sort of thing. Are there are alot of ignorant people? Yes, but not out of an sort of Islamaphobic agenda, but more in part due to lack of education. On the enlisted side, the insults that are thrown around are for everyone, I have heard disparaging terms about African-Americans, Latinos, women, Christians, Jewish people etc. These insults usually have as much venom in them as a copy of Mad magazine,a juvenile attempt at humor-

Something I read today, which I would like to share :

SCAPEGOATING ISLAM BECAUSE WE ARE TOTALLY SCREWED UP AIN’T GONNA WORK

By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor

Today, in Tampa, Fla, a Navy reservist tried to murder a Greek Orthodox priest from Crete as a “terrorist.” The reservist claimed the non-Arabic speaking Greek had yelled “Allah Akbar.” (God is Great) When arrested, Naval Reservist Jason D. Bruce told police the priest had tried to rob him. Thus, America’s honor is defended again. Two idiotic wars, two phony invasions and lots of hate crimes, the number, we will never know. We do know 99% of what we hear is lies. Vietnam was a lie. Iraq was a lie and Americans are dying in Afghanistan over more lies. Perhaps we could spread the hate out a bit. We seem to have so much of it.

Now when I hear about 9/11, no matter what I saw, the insane coincidences, the suppressed intelligence and the childish lies told the Commission by Rumsfeld and Cheney make me feel like we have all been “had.” The Iraq lies, thousands of them, were not enough. Now we have the fiasco of a war in Afghanistan where everything is destroyed, everything except poppy plants. They must be invisible, bullet proof, something. One pattern emerges, lies, money, lies, killing and more lies. I am sick of it. Scapegoating Greek priests or Islamic Americans isn’t justified, even after incidents like Ft. Hood shootings.

[Read rest here]

-Edited to provide link to full article, instead of copy/pasting into comment