Army Chaplains aren’t supposed to proselytize for their own religion and LTC Shabazz says he won’t seek converts for Islam, but if he did who would dare say anything against it in our current PC climate? And there is the doctrine of Taqiya in Islam whereby a Muslim is allowed to lie to escape persecution and/or advance the cause of Islam. The Muslims who advocate for Jihad, holy war, against non-Muslims know their Qur’an and their Hadith’s just as well as the peaceful non-Jihadist Muslims, so which faction correctly represents Islam? Which faction is more likely to end up dominating the Umma, the Islamic community of the faithful, both abroad and in America?

I think we all know the answer to that question. Naturally LTC Shabazz will be an advocate for Muslims in the service and will undoubtedly take their part whenever any of them feels picked on, disrespected or believes they are just not having their religious practices sufficiently accommodated by their chain of command. We have seen how this plays out in other parts of our society. Muslims in the West are not reluctant to make demands for special accommodation, at work, at school or anywhere else, are they? In fact it’s their duty to claim all new territory for Islam and make the infidel feel subdued. There will be constant hypersensitivity in the service regarding the “backlash” against Muslims that has yet to happen. Much “crying before they’re hit”, as grandpa used to say. At the same time we must completely ignore the persecution of Christians by Muslims around the world.

“Much of Shabazz’s workload involves the rejection of Islam rather than the embrace of it. He writes a newsletter that goes to all the commanders on base and he offers cultural awareness classes in hopes of “getting out ahead,” staving off the anti-Muslim incidents that have made headlines at other bases. He writes memos in support of soldiers seeking halal meals or prayer breaks, hoping to bridge the communication gap with officers that existed when he was a young enlisted Muslim.”

“The Department of Defense counts more than 6,000 self-identified Muslims currently serving, from a total of 1.3 million active-duty and more than 800,000 guard and reserve members. The real number of Muslims is thought to be higher because many troops choose not to list a religion, especially if they’re worried about backlash.”

Army Lt. Col. Khallid Shabazz prays five time a day as an Islamic chaplain at the Main Post Chapel at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington on Feb. 22, 2017.LUI KIT WONG/TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE/TNS

Stars and Stripes |

By HANNAH ALLAM | McClatchy Washington Bureau | Published: March 1, 2017