UK Remembrance Reminder of Only Faith that Mattered in War Was For Each Other

Reclaiming Remembrance: 'I thought it was a white event'

BBC

Alpha Ceasay

November 12, 2017

"I think it reduces hate between communities and helps community cohesion. If soldiers of different faiths could fight side by side 100 years ago, why can't we get on as community groups now?" Dr. Ifran Malik

Remembrance serves as a way to honour those who gave their lives for Britain in conflict, including during the two World Wars, but do all those who fought get the recognition they deserve?

Muslim soldiers offering prayers during World War One

It was a conversation with a patient researching the Commonwealth contribution to World War One that sparked Dr Irfan Malik's interest in finding out about his ancestors.

"Before I knew how much the Indians had contributed, growing up I thought it was very much a white war," he said.

"We weren't taught about the Indians in school."

It's a sentiment researchers at think tank British Future regularly come across in their efforts to highlight Muslims' participation in World War One and Two.

Some 1.3 million Indian soldiers who fought in the WW1, of whom 400,000 were Muslim. In World War Two, about 2.5 million Indian soldiers took part, including 600,000 Muslims.

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UK PTSD Veterans Charity Caught Selling Anti-Muslim T-Shirts

Brit Afghan war vet confronts military fundraisers selling 'anti-Muslim T-shirts'
Daily Star UK
By Tess Willorns
Published 3rd December 2016

"I've lost friends along the way, and friends have been seriously injured along the way so it's close to my heart." Colin Eastway

Colin Eastway, 36, captured the moment he confronted the fundraisers raising cash for the 1st Knight Military Charity.

It is currently being investigated by fundraising watchdogs after staff were filmed selling merchandise with the words "pork-eating, beer drinking, womanising infidels" and badges referring to suicide bombers in their Blackpool-based shop.

Paratrooper Colin, who served in the army for 10 years and completed three tours of Afghanistan, drove for more than two hours from his Liverpool home after he heard the charity was fund-raising at Victoria Shopping Centre in Harrogate, Yorks.

Colin filmed himself questioning the two supporters – only one of which has official charity ID – and repeatedly asked them how much they were being paid and what percentage of donations were actually going to the Armed Forces.

1st Knight, which raises money for wounded soldiers and those with Post-Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD), has admitted selling the offensive merchandise and has sacked one of its trustees.

The charity said the trustee had mistakenly ordered the stock due to having dyslexia.
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Fort Campbell Soldier Drowned After Baptism?

Fort Campbell Soldier Drowns
News Channel 5
Ben Hall
Sep 6, 2016

Ali died on that same day, in the same creek on Fort Campbell where he was baptized.

Fort Campbell, KY - The U.S. Army is still investigating the events that led to tragic drowning of a Fort Campbell soldier earlier this summer.

But NewsChannel 5 Investigates has new information about what Army Specialist Dhaifal Ali was doing at the creek the day he died.

Pictures posted on Facebook by a fellow soldier show he was at there to be baptized.

At some point after that ceremony, Ali was swept away in swift currents and drowned.

Rescue crews launched a comprehensive search and found Ali's body five days later.

The man who baptized Ali is not an army chaplin.

Staff Sergeant Marcus Rogers is a Fort Campbell soldier who believes the world is in its final days.

Rogers has more than 400,000 followers on Facebook who watch and comment on his self recorded mini-sermons.
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Linked from Christian Post

The Proud, The Few, The Hajabed?

Citadel mulls allowing Muslim cadet to wear hijab, first religious uniform exception
The Washington Times
By Kellan Howell
April 15, 2016

The historic Citadel military academy is considering granting its first ever uniform exception to a female cadet who has asked to be allowed to wear a hijab in keeping with her Muslim faith.

Citadel spokeswoman Kim Keelor said Friday that is it the first such request that has been made, although the school has had a number of Muslim cadets, The Associated Press reported.
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Veterans Were Not Escorted From Trump Rally

This is the headline but as you'll see, it didn't happen.

WATCH: Veterans Escorted From Trump Rally After Challenging Islamophobia A new group by the name of "Veterans Challenge Islamophobia" called out Donald Trump for his bigoted attacks on Muslims. By Alexandra Rosenmann / AlterNet February 19, 2016

While it could have been a great story on how veterans fought side by side with a lot of the "Muslims" in Iraq and Afghanistan, this was turned into a political post grabbing a headline for attention that simply wasn't true. It worked because when I saw it, I had to read it. Now I wish I hadn't.

"As an Army veteran, I deeply resent being used as a prop for intolerance by Mr. Trump. I enlisted in order to serve everyone in my country, including my Muslim sisters and brothers, and to protect Constitutional freedoms like religious liberty," said Maggie Martin who served three tours in Iraq and Kuwait with the U.S. Army (2001-06). read more here

These are from the video on AlterNet.

Security walks over to the veterans.

They took down the banner and sat down. Security walked away.

Oscar Nominated Movie Day One By Army Veteran

Why an Army veteran put a Muslim-American woman at the heart of his Oscar-nominated war movie Quartz
Written by Tim Fernholz
February 15, 2016

In terms of courage, it takes a lot more courage to be her as a Muslim-American woman surrounded by a bunch of infantrymen in Afghanistan, than to storm up a hill in combat.

More than one Academy Award-winner has been accused of demonizing Muslims, but “Day One,” the Oscar-nominated short film set against the US war in Afghanistan, makes a Muslim-American woman its hero.

Writer and director Henry Hughes served in the 173rd Airborne Brigade (paywall) for five years, including two deployments in Afghanistan. His friendship with his Afghan-American interpreter, Ayman Aziz, inspired this film, which can be seen in theaters or on-demand. Hughes spoke with Quartz about his experiences in Afghanistan, the films inspired by America’s 21st-century conflicts, and Bowe Bergdahl. The interview has been condensed and edited.
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David Crowley Murder Suicide Investigation Took Strange Twist

Disturbing details of Minnesota filmmaker's murder-suicide emerge one year after killings
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Christopher Brennan
January 16, 2016

Beauty Komel Crowley met her husband when he was serving with the Army in Texas, was raised Muslim in Pakistan and converted to Christianity for her marriage.

Investigators say that a Quran was open in the family's living room to a page with a prayer for forgiveness.

Disturbing details about the last moments of a Minnesota man who shot his wife and child before turning the gun on himself have surfaced one year after the killings.

The bodies of 29-year-old Twin Cities screenwriter David Crowley, his wife Komel and their five-year-old Raniya were discovered in their suburban home last January.

Those around the family were stunned by the tragedy, though relatives and neighbors said that they hadn’t seen from them over the holidays and the execution-style deaths are thought to have occurred the day after Christmas.

David Crowley's brother had left Christmas presents on the family's door that went unopened.

Police Crowley also may have tried to kill the family dog, though the animal survived and scavenged from its owners’ bodies before they were found.
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Soldiers Vow to Protect Muslim Child After Trumps Rant

Soldiers Tell Fearful Muslim Girl, 'I Will Protect You' 
Associated Press
by Nomaan Merchant
Dec 24, 2015

One reader, Kerri Peek, wrote about Sofia and called on soldiers to reassure her. Thousands did. Many posted messages of support with selfies of themselves in combat uniforms. The hashtag was trending in several cities this week. "#Iwillprotectyou with my last breath Sofia!" wrote Brandon Sterne, a 22-year Navy veteran who served in Iraq.

Sofia Yassini, 8, poses outside a mosque in Richardson, Texas, Dec. 11, 2015. After seeing presidential candidate Donald Trump call for barring Muslims from entering the country, the 8-year-old started packing her favorite things. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

DALLAS -- Melissa Yassini and her 8-year-old daughter, Sofia, spend some time every evening reading messages from the thousands of people who have told Sofia not to be afraid just because she's Muslim.

Sofia's story of terror that she would be forced to leave America inspired a social media campaign with a hashtag, "#IWillProtectYou," that has generated posts from soldiers, veterans and others supporting her.

"A lot of them, they call her out by name," Melissa Yassini said on Wednesday. "That's very important to her."

Melissa Yassini originally shared her daughter's response to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump calling for a ban all Muslim immigration into the United States.

Sofia heard about Trump's proposal while the family was watching the evening news. While Trump has said he isn't targeting American Muslims, her mother said Sofia didn't make that distinction.

She packed a bag with Barbie dolls, a tub of peanut butter and a toothbrush. And she checked the locks of her family's home because she thought soldiers were coming to take her away.
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Radio Talker Fired After Muslim Exchange With Caller

WGMD Fires Jake Smith
March 9, 2015


RESORT BROADCASTING News-Talk WGMD/REHOBOTH BEACH, DE morning co-host JAKE SMITH has exited the station after a comment during a FEBRUARY 20th listener call in which he said "as far as I'm concerned, not every Muslim is guilty, but every Muslim is suspect."

The NEWS-JOURNAL of WILMINGTON reports that SMITH argued with a caller about Muslims serving AMERICA, claiming, "Muslims do not stand up for AMERICA – and they don't, they didn't stand up for America during 9/11, they didn't stand up for AMERICA during FORT HOOD, they've never stood out and said, 'This has to stop' – I haven't heard one Muslim in this country do that." When the caller challenged him with an example of a Muslim soldier who enlisted in the U.S. Army after 9/11 and died in combat in IRAQ, SMITH said, "That's great, but not enough Muslims have done that, sir." And when the caller termed SMITH a "bigot," SMITH responded, "I'm a bigot? You know what, you're a bigot. Oh, you're a jackass. You know what? You're done. That jackass."
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Gee maybe he was fired for not knowing what he was even talking about on top of everything else?

Enough Joe the Plumber; here's to Kareem the Soldier
McClatchy Newspapers
By NANCY A. YOUSSEF

Khan was a 20-year-old soldier from Manahawkin, N.J., who wanted to enlist in the Army from the time he was 10. He was an all-American boy who visited Disney World after he completed his training at Fort Benning, Ga., and made his comrades in Iraq watch "Saving Private Ryan" every week.

He was also a Muslim who joined the military, his father said, in part to show his countrymen that not all Muslims are terrorists.

About 3,700 of the U.S. military's 1.4 million troops are Muslims, according to Defense Department estimates.
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Muslim life in Killeen, Texas one year after Fort Hood shooting
CNN
November 24, 2010

When Wagdi Mabrouk heard the news about the shootings on Ft. Hood he remembers thinking how close he was to the alleged shooter.

"Nidal Hassan, I knew him very well. I prayed right beside him."

Mabrouk, a retired command Sergeant Major was overseas for work on Nov. 5, 2009 when Major Nidal Hassan allegedly opened fire on this base of over 50,000 soldiers. Though so far away, the news hit very close to home.
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Marine Vet Burns Mosque to Avenge Soldiers

Marine Vet Burns Mosque to Avenge Soldiers
Dec 20, 2012
Associated Press
by John Seewer

TOLEDO, Ohio - A former Marine from Indiana admitted Wednesday that he broke into a mosque in Ohio and set fire to a prayer rug because he wanted revenge for the killings of American troops overseas.

Randy Linn pleaded guilty to hate crime charges, saying he'd become enraged after seeing images of wounded soldiers in the news.

"Every day you turn on the TV, you see Muslims trying to kill Americans," said Linn, a truck driver from St. Joe.

When asked by a federal judge whether he thought all Muslims are terrorists, he answered: "I'd say most of them are."

A deal between prosecutors and Linn, 52, calls for him to be sentenced to 20 years next April. He pleaded guilty to intentionally damaging and destroying religious property and two gun-related charges.
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Actors shocked by what "Bacile" did to movie

Who is Sam Bacile? Mystery swirls around anti-Islam film
By Moni Basu and Chelsea J. Carter
CNN
Thu September 13, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
A man who identified himself as Sam Bacile says he is responsible for the movie
A CNN search of public records turns up no information about the man
Bacile is a pseudonym, says an anti-Muslim activist who worked on the film
The cast and crew of the movie say their original lines are dubbed

(CNN) -- The murky account of a man who says he is responsible for a film that ridiculed the Prophet Mohammed is raising questions about everything -- from his identity to the production.

In telephone calls with news agencies, a man identifying himself as Sam Bacile said he was the man who made the movie that roiled the Islamic world.

In Egypt and Libya, mobs targeted U.S. missions and blamed America for the film. In the end, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans in the Libyan city of Benghazi were dead, though it is not clear whether the attack was solely incited by the film.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Bacile identified himself as a 52-year-old Israeli-American real estate developer from California.

But the 80 cast and crew members involved in the making of the movie said they were "grossly misled" about its intent. "The entire cast and crew are extremely upset and feel taken advantage of by the producer," they said in a statement to CNN. They said they were "shocked by the drastic rewrites of the script and lies that were told to all involved. We are deeply saddened by the tragedies that have occurred."
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Soldier found guilty of trying to blow up Fort Hood families

It seemed important to add "families" into the title of this report. I've been on Fort Hood, ate in the food court a few times and it is full of families along with soldiers.

AWOL Muslim soldier guilty in plot to blow up eatery full of Fort Hood troops
He was found at motel with numerous bomb-making components
AP
updated 5/24/2012

WACO, Texas — A federal jury on Thursday convicted a Muslim soldier on six charges in connection with a failed plot to blow up a Texas restaurant full of Fort Hood troops, his religious mission to get "justice" for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jurors in U.S. District Court in Waco deliberated a little more than an hour before finding Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo guilty of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of U.S. officers or employees, and four counts of possessing a weapon in furtherance of a federal crime of violence — two involving a gun and two involving a destructive device.
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Muslim soldier fought for America, and his faith

Muslim people are a part of "real America" just as much as Christians and Jews and atheists. What faith, or lack of it, they claim, has nothing to do with being American, loving this nation or being willing to die for the sake of this nation. Faith does not make you a better American but it does often make you appreciate it more when it works the way the Founding Fathers had envisioned it to work. All faiths were supposed to be equal in this nation because the Founding Fathers knew people will not agree on the faith they choose anymore than they will agree on the politicians they support. Even Christians cannot agree with each other. How many branches of Christianity are there today because people could not agree in the first centuries of Christianity? What Americans all agree on is they love this country or they wouldn't live here anymore.

When people disagree with what the government is doing, that does not make them un-American. They expect more out of the abilities of this nation and the rights we have under the Constitution not only allow us to voice our disagreement, it demands it of us. Jefferson knew the importance of being able to be well informed and use our free speech rights as well as he knew the importance of being able to freely choose the faith we have. Some in this country have used their free speech rights to attack people who do not agree with them and call them un-American. They fail to see that what makes the people of America strong is what they have in common as well as what they do not because we are all able to live together in this one nation. This nation made up of the people from many nations coming together as one. They fail to see that as they attack people of other faiths as part of some kind of political game, they are also attacking the men and women who serve this nation in the armed forces. This is just one of their stories.

Muslim soldier fought for America, and his faithBy NANCY A. YOUSSEF
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON -- "Joe the Plumber" was only one of two Americans injected into the presidential election this past week. The other was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, whom former Secretary of State Colin Powell invoked in his endorsement Sunday of Barack Obama.

Khan was a 20-year-old soldier from Manahawkin, N.J., who wanted to enlist in the Army from the time he was 10. He was an all-American boy who visited Disney World after he completed his training at Fort Benning, Ga., and made his comrades in Iraq watch "Saving Private Ryan" every week.

He was also a Muslim who joined the military, his father said, in part to show his countrymen that not all Muslims are terrorists.

"He was an American soldier first," said his father, Feroze Khan. "But he also looked at fighting in this war as fighting for his faith. He was fighting radicalism."

Khan was killed by an improvised explosive device in August 2007 along with four other soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter while searching a house in Baqouba, Iraq. He's one of four Muslims who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and are buried in Arlington National Cemetery, where 512 troops from those wars now rest.

About 3,700 of the U.S. military's 1.4 million troops are Muslims, according to Defense Department estimates.

Khan, a child of immigrant parents from Trinidad, was 14 when the Sept. 11 attacks happened. Feroze Khan said he remembered his son watching in stunned silence: "I could tell that inside a lot of things were going through his head."

Three years later, Feroze honored his son's request and allowed him to enlist him in the Army.

"I told him: 'You are going to the Army.' I never said there is a war going on in a Muslim country. I didn't want him to get any ideas that he was fighting (against) his religion."

Feroze kept his fears for his son's safety to himself.

His son was assigned to the Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Lewis, Wash., deployed to Iraq in 2006 and fought on Baghdad's Haifa Street, a Sunni insurgent stronghold.

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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/735677.html

Ex-Army Muslim Chaplian James Yee back in the news

He did nothing wrong yet had to suffer because someone pointed their finger at him.

Denver latest stop on Yee's unlikely journey
Nobody's come as far as James Yee to be a delegate to this Democratic National Convention. Five years ago, Yee, an Army chaplain of Muslim...

By Danny Westneat

Seattle Times staff columnist

DENVER — Nobody's come as far as James Yee to be a delegate to this Democratic National Convention.

Five years ago, Yee, an Army chaplain of Muslim faith, was shackled and tossed into solitary confinement for 76 days because the U.S. government felt — wrongly — that he was a terrorist sympathizer and spy.

Now the Olympia man is here, ready to cast his vote as part of the Washington state contingent for Barack Obama.

His story is a useful reminder, he says, of the danger of America chucking aside civil liberties.

But his presence at the convention, which opens today, is also a test of sorts. Will the Democrats allow Muslims to be out and proud for Obama? Even one who was once under a cloud of treason, vilified as a traitor at the time by some leading Democratic politicians?

How far have we come since 9/11, anyway?

"There is some worry that I might be a lightning rod," Yee said Sunday. " 'Accused terrorist spy is national delegate for Obama,' " he intoned, imagining how Fox News might broadcast his story.

Yee, formerly a chaplain at Fort Lewis, is something of a celebrity at the convention. Fox, PBS, The Washington Post all have called. It's because of what happened to him at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, back when America was gripped in a war-on-terror fever.

Yee was no radical. A West Point grad, he was deeply committed to both his Muslim faith and the military — "serving both God and country," he says. He voted for George W. Bush in 2000

Spying, espionage, mutiny and sedition — all were alleged by the government. Infamously, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. — whom Yee will probably meet at this convention — said Yee's arrest was proof that al-Qaida had infiltrated the U.S. military.
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Exonerated Chaplain Yee, Obama Delegate

Cleared ex-chaplain Yee now Obama delegate

The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday May 20, 2008 9:35:25 EDT

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A former Army chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who was cleared of spy accusations is now a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Former Capt. James J. Yee, a Muslim, was among the delegates pledged to Sen. Barack Obama who were elected by precinct representatives Saturday. He’s representing the state’s 9th Congressional District at the party’s convention in Denver in August.

The West Point graduate was accused in 2003 of being part of a spy ring at the U.S. prison for suspected terrorists in Guantanamo Bay.

After spending 76 days in solitary confinement, he eventually was exonerated, resigned from the Army and received an honorable discharge.