As some people may or may not know, I used to serve in the United States Army. My father, who also served, has always told me that old soldiers don't die they just fade away. Veterans and current service members can tell that I served by the way that I talk and carry myself. Recently, I had a conversation with an Indian service member. Somehow, the conversation turned towards ancestry and religion. Perhaps he felt comfortable with me because of my knowledge of Indian culture due to the many Indian family members in my family. He shared with me that he is an Muslim. I know more about Islam than the average American so I was able to talk with him about the subject. The things he said that stood out was how he irritated he was with the fake "ISIS", who he called by their real name Daesh and how he is disappointed with most Americans thinking that his religion is about violence, when there is nothing in the Qu'ran that supports what "ISIS" is doing. It struck me that with the rampant Islamophobia that certain presidential candidates and national media outlets are broadcasting, that they are damaging to people like this man. Say what you will about his religion, but this man has signed up to fight and die for this nation......something most Americans don't even qualify for, much less even do. Incidentally, he was also an admirer of El Haji Malik El Shabbaz (Malcolm X). You never know everything about somebody until they either volunteer it or you ask.
Unfortunately many right wing jingoists will state that any Muslim the military is performing 'taqiyya' and are secretly conspiring. I'm not even Muslim,(ex-Muslim) and have been labeled as a 'secret Muslim perfoming taqiyaa' because I had the audacity to counter the blanket statements stated about American Muslims. It happened on this message board. It happened on Facebook and it happened to face once.
I find it funny how some of the Americans most eager for us to fight anybody are the ones who never had the "stones" do actually sign up to do the fighting lol
