{"id":5769,"date":"2023-04-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=5769"},"modified":"2023-04-18T15:17:24","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T15:17:24","slug":"army-chaplain-shares-ramadan-with-muslim-prayer-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=5769","title":{"rendered":"Army chaplain shares Ramadan with Muslim prayer group"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Shakoor, chaplain for Baumholder, Germany-based 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery recently visited Soldiers in Vicenza during Ramadan, the most sacred month in Islam.
\n (Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla)<\/span>
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VICENZA, Italy \u2014 During a recent visit to U.S. Army Garrison Italy, Capt. Malik Shakoor told a story of his long and tumultuous road to become a Muslim chaplain.<\/p>\n

Shakoor, chaplain for Baumholder, Germany-based 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery recently visited Soldiers in Vicenza during Ramadan, the most sacred month in Islam. At Caserma Ederle, he met with U.S. Army Sgt. Mustaan Lukuman, who leads a small Islamic prayer group at the post\u2019s Spiritual Life Center.<\/p>\n

During his visit, Shakoor explained his difficult path to chaplaincy.<\/p>\n

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\n Shakoor prays alongside Muslim Soldiers stationed in Vicenza,Italy. Shakoor, chaplain for Baumholder, Germany-based 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery recently visited Soldiers in Vicenza during Ramadan, the most sacred month in Islam. As the only Muslim Chaplain in the European and African Theater, Shakoor\u2019s services are often requested around the Theater. The Soldiers, many of them paratroopers, said they had never met a Muslim chaplain in their Army careers.
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While on a basketball scholarship at the University of Maine, Shakoor had poor grades, something that would later hinder his dream. He graduated, but soon found himself living in his truck and eating from trashcans, he said. After a year of homelessness, Shakoor enlisted in the U.S. Army as a supply specialist although his goal was to be a military chaplain. While at Fort Hood, he gained a mentor \u2013 a Muslim chaplain who had endured similar trials and tribulations.<\/p>\n

That changed his life.<\/p>\n

Shakoor\u2019s mentor helped him apply to seminary, a difficult task because of his undergraduate record. More importantly to Shakoor, he had an example of what right looks like.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mentor encouraged me,\u201d Shakoor said. \u201cHe showed me what a chaplain looks like professionally and spiritually.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Shakoor speaks with Muslim Soldiers stationed in Vicenza,Italy following prayer. As the only Muslim Chaplain in the European and African Theater, Shakoor\u2019s services are often requested around the Theater. The Soldiers, many of them paratroopers, said they had never met a Muslim chaplain in their Army careers.
\n (Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

As the only Muslim Chaplain in the European and African Theater, Shakoor\u2019s services are often requested around the Theater. The Soldiers, many of them paratroopers, said they had never met a Muslim chaplain in their Army careers. Now, Shakoor mentors and guides one Soldier at a time, never forgetting his mentor years ago back in the Texas heat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be there for Soldiers, whether they’re Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, or they believe nothing at all,\u201d Shakoor said. \u201cI want to be that to them as my mentor was to me, and then some.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
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\n \"Army
\n <\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
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\n Shakoor, chaplain for Baumholder, Germany-based 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery recently visited Soldiers in Vicenza during Ramadan, the most sacred month in Islam. As the only Muslim Chaplain in the European and African Theater, Shakoor\u2019s services are often requested around the Theater. The Soldiers, many of them paratroopers, said they had never met a Muslim chaplain in their Army careers.
\n (Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The visit had a profound impact on the Muslim Soldiers from the VMC, especially for Lukuman who now has another mentor in his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an amazing opportunity because most of us have never met a Muslim Chaplain,\u201d Lukuman said. \u201cHe really went the extra mile for us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shakoor, chaplain for Baumholder, Germany-based 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery recently visited Soldiers in Vicenza during Ramadan, the most sacred month in Islam. (Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla) VIEW ORIGINAL VICENZA, Italy \u2014 During a recent visit to U.S. Army Garrison Italy, Capt. Malik Shakoor told a story of his long and tumultuous […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5771,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5769"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5776,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5769\/revisions\/5776"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}