Ahmed’s family is concerned that he may be “racially” profiled within the military, just as other Arab-Americans in civilian life have been since Sept. 11. “Will his loyalty to the American military be questioned?” Suheira asked. “How will he feel fighting against people of his own ethnicity or religion?” She had no answers. But as America enters what President George W. Bush has promised is a “long campaign” against terrorism, many of the estimated 15,000 Muslims in the U.S. military and reserves may face just these dilemmas.
The war on terrorism has stirred conflicting feelings in Muslims and Arabs across the country, including a few Muslim servicemen who have filed for conscientious-objector status. Others, such as retired Gunnery Sgt. Qaseem Uqdah, think differently. “This is not a battle against Islam,” says Uqdah, founder of the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veteran Affairs Council. “Even the president has said that. It is a battle against tyranny, against individuals behind a hideous crime.”
Yet some Arab-American soldiers can’t help but feel conflicted. Sgt. Jamal Abdelwahed, a Palestinian-born U.S. citizen working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, says he can’t imagine what it would be like to be deployed now. He avoided the infantry because of the possibility of going to war against a Muslim nation. “Facing the thought of killing other Muslims was awkward for me, so I decided to serve my country by providing medical assistance,” says Abdelwahed, 37. “But I joined knowing that this would be a possibility, and I totally support the Army’s mission.”
Ahmed’s parents and four siblings know he is also loyal to the Navy’s mission, whatever it may be. His location still remains a secret, though they have received two short e-mails from him since he was shipped out three weeks ago. “His e-mails say he’s fine, he’s safe,” says Suheira, “and everything will be OK, inshallah. That means ‘God willing’ in Arabic. He’s always been a good Muslim.” And, she says, a good soldier–even in these times of conflict.
