ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 4, 1993                   TAG: 9312040110
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

MILITARY GETS 1ST MUSLIM CHAPLAIN

The first Muslim chaplain in the U.S. armed forces was sworn in Friday at the Pentagon, a response to the expanding number of Muslims enlisting in the military or converting to the religion in the ranks since the Persian Gulf War.

Imam Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, born a Baptist 40 years ago in Buffalo, N.Y., stood at attention Friday as his wife pinned on his uniform the double bars signifying the rank of Army captain and a crescent-shaped chaplain's crest designed for Friday's ceremony.

His swearing-in capped 10 years of negotiations between military leaders and representatives of the American Islamic community, a process that both sides said generated increased respect for the others' religious beliefs.

Many enlisted Muslims attending Friday's ceremony shared stories of discrimination, harassment and misunderstanding that have arisen when their religious beliefs clashed with military regulations. They said they see the appointment of a military chaplain who is an Imam - a Muslim religious leader - as a crucial first step in smoothing out those conflicts.

"This is very historic," said Col. Herman Keizer Jr., 55, an Army chaplain and the executive director of the Armed Forces Chaplain Board. There are 243 religious denominations with 3,152 chaplains in the military, but "this is the first non-Judeo-Christian faith group to have representation."

American Buddhists are searching for a candidate to serve as their first chaplain, Keizer said.

Gauging the numbers of Muslims in the ranks is difficult because enlistees are not required to list their religious preference, said Lt. Col. Doug Hart, a spokesman for the Defense Department. He said the military has on record 2,500 Muslim members in all branches, of 1.7 million troops. But the Muslim Military Members, an organization formed in 1990 at Fort Bragg, estimates there are more than 10,000, said the group's executive director, Qaseem Ali Uqdah, 36, also known as Marine Gunnery Sgt. Archie Barnes.

During the war, reports said as many as 5,000 Americans stationed in Saudi Arabia had converted. 

Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.
by CNB