Serving God and country

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2012-05

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Abstract

Within the United States Army, it is estimated that as many as 10,000 soldiers are Muslim. However, in 2008, only 3,086 active duty personnel self-identified as Muslim. Following the attacks of September 11 and more recently, the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, there has been a marked shift in the general public’s perception toward Muslim citizens, and for American soldiers whom are Muslim; they have been placed in incredibly difficult circumstances. In this report, I aim to document the experiences of soldiers who are Muslim within the U.S. Armed Forces, and report on their struggles, successes and lives, in an era when Islamic terrorist and extremist groups are considered to be the United States nemesis. A vast majority of soldiers never encounter prejudice or experience religious or ethnic discrimination, but some do. And for soldiers who face prejudice in the military based on their religion or ethnicity, there is often little internal protection available from the higher chain of command. The problem may be relatively small in scope with regard to the number of soldiers affected on a daily basis, but fundamentally important constitutional rights are at stake in these cases of institutional lack of protection

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