EurasiaNet Civil Society - Two American Soldiers Convert to Islam, Marry in Afghanistan

CIVIL SOCIETY

TWO AMERICAN SOLDIERS CONVERT TO ISLAM, MARRY IN AFGHANISTAN
7/27/07
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

An Afghan newspaper, cited by the Reuters news agency, reported on July 26 that two U.S. soldiers have converted to Islam and got married in Afghanistan.

The "Hewad Daily" reported that the two soldiers are stationed at Bagram Air Base north of Kabul, the center of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan. An unidentified U.S. military spokesman said he is working to verify the account, but added that freedom of religion is a protected right under the U.S. Constitution.

An Afghan cleric, referred to only as Hamidullah, praised the soldiers’ alleged conversion, stating that "if anybody embraces Islam...his sins committed in this world will be forgiven and Allah praises him and his family, and will bless him in the coming world too."

If the report is confirmed, the two soldiers’ conversion to Islam will be the first such cases among U.S. soldiers since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. JC

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