Muslim Soldiers at Fort Jackson may not be able to fast during the holy month of Ramadan -- it would be foolish to do so in 100-degree heat -- so they concentrate instead on prayer and fellowship.
On Friday evenings during weeks between June 17 and July 17, about 40 meet to discuss the challenges they face being both Muslims and Soldiers, they pray together and then they break fast together with the consumption of dried dates -- the fruit the Prophet Mohammed chose to end his own fast. On July 18 and 19, they will celebrate the feast of Eid ul-Fitr, ending their month of self-denial.
"(Ramadan) is the Basic Training for the soul, the mind, the heart," Chaplain (Maj.) Abdullah Hulwe told the gathered Soldiers last Friday evening. "Allah will get you through."
A Muslim Soldier never has to make the decision to pledge his allegiance to God or country, Hulwe said.
"It's for God and country," he said. "Patriotism is a sign of your faith."
Hulwe knows the challenges the new Soldiers face. He entered the Army himself during Ramadan in 1989, although he was in New Jersey and it was April and considerably cooler. Most of the Soldiers at Friday night's meeting were not abstaining fully from food and drink -- they wore full water packs on their backs.
Islam allows an exemption from fasting for those who are ill or traveling. Meeting the rigors of a full fast would make the Soldiers ill, and so they are excused, too. Many said they intended to postpone their monthlong fasts until after they had received permanent postings.
They do not abstain from their five daily periods of prayer, although they are allowed to combine sessions.
Muslims are a very distinct minority in the Army -- not even 0.5 percent of Soldiers in 2008, according to Pentagon figures. Many are Americans, but others come to the Army from war-torn lands in which they dealt with American Soldiers.
They hail from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Iraq; Eritrea, Togo and Djibouti. And, on Friday night, Oklahoma.
Chaplain (Capt.) Matthew Madison works with Soldiers in the 1st Battalion, 34th Regiment -- a handful of whom are Muslim. Madison calls the regiment "a model to follow" in working with the needs of Muslim Soldiers. No other faith demands a monthlong regimen of fasting and prayer, which can be difficult to accommodate.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Spears is a drill sergeant in Delta Company, 1-34. Because he has been deployed five times to the Middle East -- once to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq, where he came across one of the Soldiers now in his unit -- he learned a little about the culture and religion of the area.
"Having been to both of them, I can kind of relate to them," said Spears, who also complimented the Muslim Soldiers on their maturity. Most are older than the average basic trainee, some by several years.
During a group interview on Sunday, five Muslim Soldiers talked about meeting the demands of their faith while celebrating Ramadan at Fort Jackson. Most reiterated what Hulwe had told them Friday evening.
"Our mission now is to be a success as Soldiers," said one, a native of Iraq who now hails from Michigan. (The Soldiers cannot be identified by name because they are becoming translators, and to do so might put them in danger.)
"In our company, our drill sergeants and our NCOs, they came to us and asked" what allowances needed to be made during Ramadan. The Soldiers agreed that wasn't always the case with their friends in other units.
As a group, the Muslim Soldiers decided together that they would not fast.
"It's too dangerous for us if we don't drink or eat," said another, an Iraqi transplanted to California. "I was surprised when my drill sergeant walked up to me and asked" what he could do to make things easier.
The Soldiers still pray five times daily, combining sessions if they wish. They wash before prayer to maintain purity. They refrain from cursing and instruct others in the faith when asked.
"It's easy for the military to accommodate religion," Madison said -- it already transports Basic Training Soldiers to different services. And "the way D Company, 1-34 has provided accommodations, that's the right way to do it."
What is Ramadan?
Muslims regard Ramadan -- the ninth month of the Islamic year -- as the holiest of the year. During the month, the prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, first began to receive the divine revelations that would continue throughout his life.
Fasting during Ramadan means no eating, no drinking (not even water) and no sexual relations from dawn till dusk. Fasting may be postponed for health reasons or other extenuating circumstances, such as Basic Combat Training.
Ramadan also is a month of increased prayer, self-examination and charity.
This year, Ramadan runs from June 17 and July 17. Because the Islamic calendar follows cycles of the moon, months may be 29 or 30 days long, so the Islamic year is 10 or 11 days shorter than those in the Western calendar. Hence, Ramadan moves forward each year.
Over time, Ramadan can occur during any season. This year, it just happens to be during 100-degree heat in South Carolina.
Source: beliefnet.com
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