isna

ISNA’s Director of Chaplaincy Services Meets with Service Members in Hawaii

4002001 (Oahu, Hawaii, Jan 22-25, 2014) The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)’s Director of Chaplaincy Services (ICSD) and Islamic Endorsing Agent Chaplain (LTC) Ret. Abdul Rasheed Muhammad conducted a historic visit to the island of Oahu. The visit included several office calls with senior Chaplains and key leaders spanning seven bases and including Service Members from Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. His visit highlighted the importance of religious support to Service Members and overall resilience for Service Members and their families. The visit culminated with a traditional Friday sermon and community dinner held at the Chapel Annex at Schofield Barracks. 4156750 The endorser also made a courtesy visit with the 8th Military Police Brigade’s Commander COL Mark Jackson the commanding officer of the only Muslim Chaplain in the Pacific Region CH (MAJ) Ibraheem Raheem. COL Jackson’s history as a visionary for risk reduction and health promotion was a common passion for CH (LTC) Ret. Muhammad who served in the US Army Public Health Command during the development of the ACE program for suicide prevention and awareness. Highlights of the visit were: 1)    Reaching out to women service members in the form of a town hall forum to address the unique needs of women in the faith 2)    Establishing annual training opportunities for Distinctive Faith Group Leaders (DFGLs) addressing the issues of continuity 3)    Building and maintaining relationships with senior Chaplains and key leaders to ensure the best possible support in terms of resources, opportunities for worship and information distribution to Muslim personnel