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    Striker Soldiers learn about Islam

    Striker Soldiers Learn About Islam, Iraq

    Photo By Spc. Paul Harris | Sandy Keith, military in transition team leader from U.S. Army Intelligence Center...... read more read more

    By Spc. Paul J. Harris
    3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs

    FORT CARSON, Colo. -– Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division attended a symposium on the differences between Islam and radical Islam last week at McMahon Auditorium on Fort Carson.

    "We are giving them the good, the bad and the ugly and somewhere in between," said Sandy Keith, Civil Affairs military transition team leader from the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, Fort Huachuca, Ariz. "(Soldiers) really need to know the difference between the average Muslim and the radical that is trying to kill them."

    Soldiers were taught during the two-day course the basic fundamentals of Islam including the five pillars and the different religious beliefs between the Sunni and Shia sects.

    Iraq has many different religious factions within its borders, not just Sunni and Shia. Keith brought along a training specialist, Saman Shamuel, to give the Soldiers a first-hand account of how to navigate the many different beliefs.

    "My focal point is the diversity of the Iraqi population," Shamuel said. "I am trying to explain to our young Soldiers what is the difference of the Iraqi map, the human map."

    Shamuel was born in Baghdad and left to come to the U.S. when he was 19. He has since become a naturalized U.S. citizen and felt obligated to help out his new country by teaching what he knows.

    "I always try to avoid the direction 'if you go to a certain neighborhood always go to the Imam of the neighborhood,'" Shamuel said. "I say no, go to the teacher of the neighborhood, he probably has ties with nobody and will give you more input."

    While the first day focused more on Iraqi cultural fundamentals, the second day focused more on the danger radical Islam poses to western society. Soldiers were shown a documentary called Obsession that demonstrated how radical Islam teaches its children to hate the West and embrace Jihad, similar to how Nazi's used the Hitler youth program to influence a generation of Germans during the 1930s.

    "It is important to understand that you are not going over to Iraq to necessarily fight for anything less than the survival of our culture in the world," said 1st Lt. Adam Hoffmann, platoon leader, Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. "It is a very important mission and a lot of the time people do not understand civilization hangs in the balance."

    Though the danger of radical Islam was driven home, younger Soldiers like Pfc. David Morrison, a Bradley Fighting Vehicle driver with Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry, understood that is not indicative of a typical Muslim. One of his battle buddies from advanced individual training was a devout Muslim and through the training Morrison began a dialog on their cultural differences. He was glad today the other young Soldiers in his unit were able to experience the same knowledge that he had learned.

    "I think this is an overall good class," Morrison said. "If nobody had this class they (would) have only heard the bad parts. Not all Iraqi Muslims are the same and there are good people out there trying to help us."

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 07.13.2007
    Date Posted: 07.13.2007 13:11
    Story ID: 11267
    Location:

    Web Views: 243
    Downloads: 194

    PUBLIC DOMAIN