U.S. Military Seeking To Recruit More Muslims

Yesterday's Christian Science Monitor reported on efforts by the Pentagon to recruit more Muslims into the military. As the need for Arabic speakers, and for those who understand the cultures of Iraq and Afghanistan, increase, the service academies have opened Muslim prayer rooms and have recruited Imams to serve as chaplains. Non-Muslim officers have begun to celebrate religious events with Muslims in the U.S. and overseas. The Marines have tried to accommodate the observance of Ramadan by their enlistees, have created an outreach program to Arab-Americans in major U.S. cities, and are attempting to sensitize Marine recruiters to cultural differences they may encounter in working with Arab-Americans. [Thanks to Melissa Rogers for the lead.]