AlterNet: They Sent Me to Distant Lands to Fight Against Muslims ... Then I Became One

[marmar]

They Sent Me to Distant Lands to Fight Against Muslims ... Then I Became One

By Penny Coleman, AlterNet. Posted April 9, 2009.

Along the way, I ate Burger King in Peshawar, developed a debilitating drug habit and caught a 3-year prison sentence.



Mike's attraction to Islam dates to 2001, when his Afghan interpreter gave him a Quran. Mike had a deep respect for the spirit of those he fought and wanted to better understand what it was about their belief system that roused such a fierce dedication to their cause.

Last month, after a year of one-on-one study with Imam Sabur, Mike made his shihada at the Kemble Street Mosque in Utica, N.Y. He is now officially an adherent of Islam.

As a practicing Muslim, his life has become a virtual prayer. Five times a day, he ritualistically washes his body and kneels to pray facing the Kaaba in Mecca. (The first time, he used a compass and marked the direction with tape on his floor.)

"Islam," the imam explained to me, "is a way of life more than a religion. It teaches you how to do everything, and everything becomes an act of worship."
Mike agrees, allowing with some amusement that the structure is both reassuring and familiar for a soldier, "but the military isn't nearly as strict as Islam." ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/135550/they_sent_me_to_distant_lands_to_fight_against_muslims_..._then_i_became_one/

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. Interesting - the USA's fight AGAINST Islam, is increasing it's numbers and visibility.

.
.
.

George Bush's use of the words "crusade" and "axis of evils" has cost thousands of lives,

and ruined millions.

Bush is a free man. . .

Something is wrong.

(sigh)