Thread: West Point opens Islamic worship space as Muslim cadets incr

West Point opens Islamic worship space as Muslim cadets increase
October 21, 2006, 10:45 AM EDT

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) _ Muslims at the U.S. Military Academy numbered just two in 2001. This year, there are 32.

Now West Point has opened its first space dedicated to Muslims, a worship hall complete with a pulpit facing Mecca. The space officially opened Thursday.

"I knew the Army had a policy of religious tolerance, but I didn't know it was to this extent," said first-year Cadet Ahmed Moomin, 20, from the Maldives.

Until now, Friday prayers were held in an increasingly crowded first-floor office, said Imam Asadullah, the academy's Muslim cleric. The number of Muslim cadets jumped by 10 from last year.

The new hall is large enough for dozens of followers, he said.

West Point's Muslim leaders approached administrators last year for help.

"We live in a world where everyone is looking at the United States saying, 'You're anti-Islam.' But here at West Point, that's not what we do," West Point Chaplain Col. John Cook said.

Asadullah said the new hall is a strategic move.

"We have cadets here who are going to be the future of tomorrow," he said. "If we treat them differently from other cadets or other faiths, that will be a cause for future confrontation."

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ ... 37.story?c

So now, we're importing non-citizens from Muslim countries into the US Service Acadamies?

WTH is going on here?

A little background on The Maldives from Wikipedia:

Republic of Maldives, is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south of Indias Lakshadweep islands, about seven hundred kilometers (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. The twenty-six atolls encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited by people. The country's name may stand for "Mountain Islands" (malai in Tamil, meaning "mountain" and teevu in Tamil meaning "island") or it might mean "a thousand islands". Some scholars believe that the name "Maldives" derives from the Sanskrit maladvipa, meaning "garland of islands", or from "mahila dvipa", meaning "island of women". Others believe the name means "palace" (from Mahal in Arabic). Following the introduction of Islam in 1153, the islands later became a Portuguese (155, Dutch (1654), and British (1887) colonial possession. In 1965, Maldives declared its independence from Britain, and in 1968 the Sultanate was replaced by a Republic. However, in 38 years, the Maldives have had only two Presidents, though political restrictions have loosened somewhat recently.

Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of population, and the smallest Asian country that is a member of the United Nations. It is also the smallest predominantly-Muslim nation in the world, and the smallest predominantly-Muslim member of the United Nations.

A unique feature of Maldivian society is a very high divorce rate by either South Asian or Islamic standards, which demonstrates the high degree of autonomy that Maldivian women have over their lives.

The Maldives is an almost exclusively Islamic society. It is common to hear Maldivians refer to their country as a "100 percent Muslim country" . But the isolation of Maldives from the historical centers of Islam in the Middle East and Asia has allowed some pre-Islamic beliefs and attitudes to survive.

There is a widespread belief in jinns, or evil spirits. For protection against such evils, people often resort to various charms and spells. The extent of these beliefs has led some observers to identify a magico-religious system parallel to Islam known as fanditha, which provides a more personal way for the islanders to deal with either actual or perceived problems in their lives. However this is a dying tradition that can be seen in only rural areas.

How do you know he is not a citizen?

So now, we're importing non-citizens from Muslim countries into the US Service Acadamies?

To my knowledge U.S. citizenship is a service academy requirement. Furthermore, acceptance is extremely competitive, which means those typically gaining entrance are great kids. Don't get me wrong, occasionally a spoiled Congressman's kid and elitest child with the right family connections does find an easier path, than would normally be expected, to admittance.

Originally Posted by artclam

How do you know he is not a citizen?

Why should I assume that?

The article says he's "from The Maldives".

Now maybe he's really from Brooklyn, New York, but it sounded more diverse to say The Maldives. Who knows?

All I know is what I read in the article, and The Maldives aren't a US State or Territory.

Excerpt:

2007 U.S. Service Academy Nomination & Appointment Process

Who Is Eligible?

Each applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements as of July 1 of the year of admission to an academy:

- Must be at least 17 years old, but not have passed the 23rd birthday (Merchant Marine 25th)

- Must have high school diploma or have GED equivalency

- Must be a U.S. citizen

- Must be unmarried and have no legal obligations to support children or other dependents

http://www.house.gov/jimdavis/Academy.htm

MW,

I would assume that you still have to be a US citizen to attend, but lately I've learned to stop assuming a lot of things.

However, my point was that the article seems to think it more important to link the student to the student's country of origin, rather than their residence in the US.

To me, that's troublesome, since the military had been the last place holding out against the PC tsunami that has swept the nation. No more, it appears.

The article says he's "from The Maldives".

He could be a a naturalized immigrant from the Maldives or a USA citizen living abroad.

Originally Posted by artclam

The article says he's "from The Maldives".

He could be a a naturalized immigrant from the Maldives or a USA citizen living abroad.

Yes, he could be, but he's not.

Neither are any of these.

International Cadet Program

All non-U.S. citizens interested in applying for Admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point are first advised to contact the U.S. Defense Attaché Office located at the American Embassy in their native country. The USDAO serves as the link between the student, the host nation, and the United States Military Academy.

Revision of Title X of the U.S. Code in 1963 authorized up to sixty International Cadets to study at USMA at any given time. Eligible countries are selected on an annual basis by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Defense.[code]

http://admissions.usma.edu/MoreInfo/international.cfm

Good find Count. Well, if that isn't a load of B.S., I don't know what is. Obviously these individuals will acquire U.S. citizenship, because they will have an active duty obligation after graduation, which does entitle them to U.S. citizenship.

Is there no end to the ways our government can find to make U.S. citizens out of nationals from other countries? You know, those are seats that our U.S. citizen children could be taking.