Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
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 Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 5:28 am Post subject: Muslims Serving the US Armed Forces by Yusuf Naqvi |
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With people having so much animosity with me who is actually working for the US Armed Forces is really surprising and I wonder if they just lied to the US Government so that they could avail all the priviledges of being a US Citizen.
I have always wondered why people react to me so negatively just because I work with the US Air Force in Iraq. One example of such an experience is Naseeb. I have had people cursing me and also sending me horrible emails. So I decided to take a step back and analyze the situation myself. I am not sure if I would have had the same reaction from the same people had I being working for the Pakistan Armed Forces. Then why the US Armed Forces? Many argue that it'sn Army that kills Muslims. I really beg to differ with their opinions.
Many of you who were born in the US or the UK are thought of people already having loyalty towards their homeland. Some of us who are naturalized citizens have to take the Pledge of Allegiance when we go for our Oath Ceremony. So in the name of God, people raise their right hands and go through the process just so that they can get a piece of paper that says that they are US Citizens. I wonder if people realize that taking an Oath is a very big step even in the eyes of our religion of Islam. One part of the allegiance requires us to defend the constitution of United States. Many of us also tell the INS officer during our interview that they are willing to bear arms for the US. So with people having so much animosity with me who is actually working for the US Armed Forces is really surprising and I wonder if they just lied to the US Government so that they could avail all the priviledges of being a US Citizen.
What really bothers me most is that many desi뭩 seem to find it wrong for people to work
I think it is about time that Muslims need to get out of the box and start thinking beyond the traditional 1940s style of backward thinking. It is no wonder that Jews are so successful in the world.
for the US Armed Forces but yet they love to live in the US or Europe where their rights are well protected. The basic definition of a government is o the people, by the people and for the people.?It is the same people that form the government and the same that serve our country. So if the US Military is so horrible, why are we here then? I think for those folks that don't agree with the policies have two choices. One, get involved with the US political process and make a difference. One example of such an organization is CAIR, or two, leave the US. I think it is about time that Muslims need to get out of the box and start thinking beyond the traditional 1940s style of backward thinking. It is no wonder that Jews are so successful in the world. As few as they are, they control virtually all the major powers of the world and concentrate on educating themselves. Don't you think that Jews get ridiculed all the time? I am not saying that what the Israeli government does to the Palestinians is all fair but let us take the Danish Cartoon incident as an example. It would have been right if we had protested peacefully. What we saw instead were rallies and violence all over the world. Do you honestly think that this hurt the Europeans or the Americans? No it didn't. It only hurt economies of the Muslim world. Pakistan is a very good example. No Western country is really interested investing in Pakistan. Yet look at neighboring India. All multinational companies find it fruitful to invest. Islamic extremism seems to be rooted in all of us right from childhood. What we hear from our parents is all the traditional anti
I get a flood of emails on my Army account talking about how evil we are and that the wounds that these children have incurred are caused by us. A very wrong statement.
west sentiments. Many of us then take that into our Professional lives. I think we need to stop that. I think we need to start assimilating ourselves in the western society and take part in the political process just as Jews do.
Last, I am very surprised at the reaction I have received so far from our medical community on Naseeb. One of the reasons why I joined Naseeb was to network with other Muslim Professionals in seeing how we can help the children of Iraq. In addition to my real job, I get to work with the children of Iraq through and NGO organization. We distribute school kits, clothes and shoes to many poor Iraqis. I know many of you don't hear any positive news items on the television about Iraq, but believe me, there are many good things the US Armed Force Personnel are doing for the citizens of Iraq. When you get a chance, please visit www.operationiraqichildren.org. On many Civil Affair missions, Doctors and Nurses go out on missions. They help in many areas like vaccinating small children and bring back many cases to work on at our bases. Many perform surgeries and for those that are complicated cases, we work hand in hand and try to organize their medical treatment in the US.
Recently, I posted an Article under the srubs?section of Naseeb requesting any medical professional who is aware of a medical institution in the US that is willing to help Iraqi children. No one single individual has recommended anything positive. Instead, I get a flood of emails on my Army account talking about how evil we are and that the wounds that these children have incurred are caused by us. A very wrong statement. Children are born with disabilities and it is
I get a flood of emails on my Army account talking about how evil we are and that the wounds that these children have incurred are caused by us. A very wrong statement.
the will of Allah Almighty. They are everywhere. Some have privileges to get treatment, and others do not. Iraq is one of those unfortunate cases. With so many mashallah Muslim professionals on Naseeb, not one could come up with a positive answer. Where is the so called Islamic Unity amongst us gone? Are we going to hold a grudge against the US Armed Force members that are trying to help? Believe me, the only one that will suffer are the children. It is very amazing that many of the cases we have sent over to the US to be worked on are helped by Christians and Jews. Many Iraqi children get adopted and move to the US. I am currently working one case myself that a US Congressman from OH is helping out. The entire Christian neighborhood is giving all the financial assistance.
In summary, I strongly believe that the Muslim ummah is one that has been blessed with wealth BUT have we seem to have most of the problems. I see how many Muslims are treated in the Middle East by our own Muslim brothers and sisters. For those of you that have worked in many Arab countries know exactly what I am talking about. Yet it is the West that we look upon and move to where we are treated with respect and dignity. Shia and Sunni's live at peace and are able to practice their religion without any problems. It is unfortunate to see that all violence related to religion happens in Muslim countries. My only sincere request for all of you is to stop being so negative towards Muslims serving the US Military. It's just another job and I think it is an honor for any person to serve the country they hold citizenship with. |
http://www7.naseeb.com/naseebvibes/prose-detail.php?aid=4792 |
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