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Swelling with Pride (June 8, 2005)
My heart is swollen with pride… hairs are still on end, and my throat is choked with emotion after hearing your interview with Major Muhammad. I recently retired from the Army after 20 years of proud service, and truly today is the first time I longed to be back in uniform again serving alongside great Americans and great humans such as Major Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad.
The emotions I describe are not only for the pride that I feel that Major Muhammad is an American — who is a soldier, who is a chaplain, who happens to be a Muslim — but for the whole of it all. I feel these emotions because of how powerful it was to hear his words of wisdom, the beauty and truth and humanity of them. Our American Armed Forces are full of enlightened peacemakers in uniform such as Major Muhammad. And I realize how much I miss serving alongside them. (Yeah, we got knuckleheads too!)
I am not a Muslim, I am a Jesuit-educated admirer and
student of Islam, as I am of all the other great bodies
of wisdom and truth and beauty captured by the major
belief systems. I must give credit to Imam Kevin Hudson
of Philadelphia for teaching me about Islam while I was
stationed there. But I digress, may God bless you and
may she smile upon you and your endeavors. You too are
a peacemaker who is an American, who is a journalist
on public radio, who happens to be a person of faith.
And for all of it I give thanks.
By the way SOF in the DoD [Department of Defense] is Special Operations Forces — a fitting coincidence.
Bill Beverley-Blanco
Marietta, FL (WABE, 90.1 FM)
Featuring All Types of Muslims (May 30, 2005)
Thank you for exposing the thoughts and experiences of Major Muhammad to your listeners. As a fellow African-American Muslim, I commend you for highlighting the diversity of Muslims in this country. In these times of conflict, accurate information is more critical than ever before. The resources on this subject listed on your Web site were very helpful. I encourage you to continue to feature American Muslims in all walks of life.
Gail Kennard
Los Angeles, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)
How Events Transpired (May 30, 2005)
I very much enjoyed listening to the show on the first Muslim chaplain in the U.S. Army. One thing that I was curious about that I didn't hear asked was how Major Muhammad became the first Muslim chaplain. Did he approach the Army and ask to be the first Muslim chaplain, or did the Army approach him? I ask this because since I was in the service myself, I know that change comes very slowly in the military. So, I was curious about how this seemingly major change occurred.
Mark Sachs
Silver Spring, MD (WETA, 90.9 FM)
Lessons Learned (May 29, 2005)
I have become a regular listener of this show in the recent couple of months. I have great admiration with the cause you are pursuing in this show. I am Jewish. This is a great show for what we call "Tikkun Olam," Repair the World.
I was glad to hear Major Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad's focus on common humanity and how hard he had to "combat" a difference-focused approach that Krista Tippett had. She recognized it. I am grateful that even the host sometimes needs to have a reminder that when we speak of faith, have many universal/common principles. He had a great sense of self and his sense of humor was a good example.
I was glad to hear about the "ruling" regarding the conflict of interest that some Muslim American or American Muslim soldiers face. He was great in not giving the host an answer and letting her force the issue and as he directly. Your sharp contrasts at the end, Krista, were good and showed how his simple approach will help her in the future. So may your dialogue continue to broaden my perspective (which I think it has) and those that I and other listeners interact with in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.
Jeremy Mendelson
Bethesda, MD (WETA, 90.9 FM)
Muslims Can't Kill Muslims (May 29, 2005)
As a Muslim in America, and black, I was thoroughly ashamed
that Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad was given a voice to distort
Islam in the manner that he has. There is absolutely
no justification for a Muslim to be on the side of the
kuffar in killing Muslims. It nullifies his Islam and
puts him out of the fold of Muslim brotherhood. The examples
one could give are too many to enumerate, but to be part
of an invading force that kills even one Muslim is a
great sin.
Abu Mubarak
Mount Laurel, NJ (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
Looking for a More Inclusive Voice (May 29, 2005)
In preface, as a Muslim, I am pleased that your program
has offered the views of we who profess Islam, in a fairly
balanced way. This is not only refreshing, it is hopeful
for it signifies inclusion rather than exclusion: this
idea is central to the tenets of Islam. In Arabic, I
say al hemdoulillah (Thanks be to God/Thank God)
to you for including Islam in your programming.
As for the Army Chaplain, Major Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad,
I have very mixed feelings because he seemed to reflect
the nationalism of being Muslim (e.g. references to being
an "American" Muslim) rather than simply to be Muslim
and because he spoke in terms of what may be traditional
rather than essence of Muslims either in the U.S. or
in other parts of the world. In this I was disappointed
because it distorts Islam, which makes no distinction
in humanity other than to acknowledge the three religions
of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and later, Zoroastrianism
as being monotheistic and recognizingLa Illah ailalla (There
is no god but God) and thus, inclusive of all humanity
by specifying that:
"I created you in diversity not to create
enmity but so that you will know one another." (My
understanding of this particularayat is that
in "knowing" one another we see the similarities of
humanity not its minor differences.)
Perhaps more disturbing was that he consistently referred
to Muslims in (specifically) Iraq as distinctly belonging
to another part of the world or another part of Islam
and in so doing segregated them from his "group" of "American" Muslims.
Only in the U.S. is there this growing tendency to segregate
Muslims by nationality, something that is not seen or
even known in the rest of the Muslim world. For example,
if you were to go to North Africa or the Middle East
or Asia and ask one's religious affiliation of a Muslim,
you would not have the answer prefaced by one's nationality;
one is simply "Muslim," not "Algerian" or "Egyptian" or "Iraqi" or "Palestinian" Muslim.
Christians or Jews of the world are not prefaced by nationality,
either from themselves or by the media, except perhaps
by an association or institution, but never as an individual.
I was also disappointed to hear this U.S. Army chaplain speak as a "soldier" and, therefore, infer that warfare was an acceptable action, most especially since he purports to represent Islam which is a religion of peace not of war, and certainly not of "nationalism" or nation building or of nation re-shaping.
You had a certain fatwa quoted but did not give
its source. It would have been better to have stated
clearly the source, if only to let the listeners know
which organization or individual claims to be a better
interpreter of the Qur'an than others (which in itself
is a defamation of the Qur'an which makes no such distinctions
between Muslims or even non-Muslims, giving us each our
right to interpret and to understand as individuals with
our free will intact and as a right given to all humans.
In fact the Qur'an says it teaches us by degrees in ways
we each as individuals have the capacity to understand.)
The figure 4,000 was given for Muslims serving as soldiers
from the U.S. Was this figure for the Army itself or
does it include all branches of the U.S. military? Of
that figure, how many (if there are any) are female?
Chaplain Muhammad announced himself as "imam," which
tacitly buys in to the tradition of what is supposedly"Islamic" but
not found in the Qur'an. The Qur'an simply refers to imam as
a congregational (communal) prayer leader. It was never
meant to be used as a title or to place one human in
a place of superiority above others. It certainly never
was meant to imply that one individual could take the
rein of authority (of Islam) over others. Even of our
Prophet Mohammed (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him), the Qur'an reiterates that he is "a man" and "only
a messenger."
Thank you for taking the time to read my comments. I understand, perhaps, why you chose this man to interview at this time, but hope that in another segment you may choose to share the views of someone more inclusive rather than exclusive. Reza Aslan comes to mind, or John Esposito.
Rachida Djebel
Windsor Mill, MD (WETA, 90.9 FM)
What Wasn't Said (May 29, 2005)
During the program, Krista said that Major Muhammad would not address certain controversial topics. Since it was not mentioned in the program, I assume the place of women from the Muslim perspective was considered as such. Perhaps you have already presented the topic, and I have missed it, but if not, perhaps in another program you could provide us, your listeners, with the varying views of women from Muslim clerics.
Alan Wild
Kingston, RI (WNPR, 89.1 FM)
An Instrument of God's Peace (May 29, 2005)
"What a blessing" — this was my first thought at the conclusion of the morning interview with Chaplain Muhammad. I have become a Monday through Friday/7 am to 9 pm NPR person over the past two years, but being NPR-aware (i.e. awake) between 5 and 8 am on Sunday morning is an exception. I can only call my catching this morning's report as a "blessing." What insight to the spiritual similarities between persons of faith. Pastor and teacher, the reverend cleric Chaplain Muhammad spoke so clearly and thoughtfully, no matter what "road to Rome" a soldier might have been on before coming onto the Iraqi battle theater, they would be counseled, cared for by this instrument of God's peace.
As a religiously shepherded Christian (Episcopal) and
personally spiritual child of the Creator, the language
of the pre-conflict fatwa was so moving and revealing.
Even the excerpt from the Malcolm X letter, which I recall
reading in his autobiography (penned by Alex Haley) in
1990, and how eye-opening Malcolm's awakening was for
me, but as it related to the Nation of Islam movement
on my HBCU [Howard University in Washington, DC] campus.
My apologies for rambling, I just wanted to say thank
you for this pre-Memorial Day message.
Lloyd Bethel Jr.
Miami, FL (WLRN, 91.3 FM)
Impressed (May 27, 2005)
I was quite impressed and attracted to the idea that we are all one. There really is no Islamic prayer just as there is no Catholic prayer. Prayer by itself stands alone for itself. It was a worthwhile and educating program.
Jackj Wopata
Deer River, MN (KNBJ, 91.3 FM)
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