U.S. Military to Get Its First Islamic Chaplain
The military is about to get its first Islamic chaplain.
Abdul Rasheed Muhammad of Buffalo, N.Y., will be sworn in as a first lieutenant this morning and assigned to the Army’s basic chaplain course, the Pentagon said Thursday. Upon graduation in April, he will be stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
Officials said that the appointment was made after high-level review of the Defense Department’s chaplains’ corps in light of recent changes in military demographics. Today, there are about 2,500 Muslims in the armed forces--up from a relative few a decade ago.
The establishment of an Islamic chaplaincy is a milestone for the military. There currently are 3,152 chaplains on active duty in the armed services, but they all are from various Christian and Jewish religious denominations or sects.
An Army spokesman said that the service is considering appointing a Buddhist chaplain--possibly sometime next year or the year after.
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