INTERVIEW-Muslim commander says U.S. troops there to help
23 May 2007 17:54:27 GMT Source: Reuters
By Mohammed Abbas ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS, May 23 (Reuters) - When he left Pakistan to learn to fly in the United States, Muhammad Khan never expected that one day he would be taking in part in U.S. Navy exercises off the coast of Iran. Now a squadron commander aboard the USS Stennis aircraft carrier, Khan sees no conflict between being a devout Muslim and serving in the U.S. Navy. His missions typically involve reconnaissance and in-flight refuelling. As the first Muslim to command an operational aviation squadron in the U.S. Navy, 45-year-old Khan rejects jihadists claims that they are doing their religious duty when they attack U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Defending U.S. military involvement in Muslim countries, he said he hoped insurgents would realise that the intentions of the average U.S. serviceman or woman were good, regardless of the politics that brought them to the region. "Most of the soldiers are there to help, and the goal is for stability and security in the region so the Iraqis and Afghans can conduct business on their own," he said aboard the warship preparing for naval exercises in the Gulf. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney earlier this month sent a message of warning to Iran from the deck of the Stennis over its atomic programme. The manoeuvres raise pressure on the Islamic Republic, which insists its programme is for peaceful purposes. Khan said his religion had never come into conflict with his duties aboard the aircraft carrier. The only time his religion emerged as an issue was when colleagues called to make sure he was not being harassed after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. cities. "I always tell them that I'm a Muslim, because I want them to see and speak to a Muslim," Khan told Reuters. "Most of the time, when we hear about a Muslim, you're looking at some gruesome pictures of something negative that's happened." "I've tried to teach them what Islam is all about ... teachings of non-violence, compassion, mercy, some of the things that you don't necessarily read about in the paper," he added. DEVOUT MUSLIM On Fridays, he leads noon prayers when time permits, using Korans and prayer rugs kept in the ship's chapel. Khan went to the United States at the age of 18 to study aviation, but after marrying an American woman, he decided to stay and became a U.S. citizen in 1988. Although he was obsessed with military aviation, Khan thought it would be impossible for someone from his background to fly for the U.S. military. "In college I used to see the naval recruiters come to the campus, and I would watch the videos they showed. I was in awe. My house was adorned with posters from them," he said. "When the movie Top Gun came out ... my wife told me it was something I could do." Khan insists that despite some reprisals against some Muslims following the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States had been good to him. "It was only after 9/11 -- my name is Muhammad Muzzafar Khan -- that that got highlighted a little bit," he said. "When that happened, I got lots of phone calls from colleagues and friends to make sure I was not being harassed." "My hope and goal is that one day they will be able to enjoy the same freedoms that I enjoy in the United States -- a father can walk down the street with his children and not be worried about a suicide attempt or a car bomb blowing up."
