Community Corner
Muslim Chaplain Sent to Afghanistan to Facilitate Ramadan
Muslim Marines serving in Afghanistan felt it important to have an Imam present during the holy month, so the Marine Corps delivered.
With the Islamic holy month of Ramadan coming to a close on Monday, Marine Corps public affairs put out a profile on a Navy chaplain sent to Afghanistan to preside over prayer services for Muslim Marines deployed there.
Called Imam, an Arabic word for Islamic leader, Lt. Asif I. Balbale has been leading prayer for Muslim service members in the Helmand and Kandahar provinces since the beginning of Ramadan on Aug. 1.
Balbale immigrated to the U.S. from Kuwait in 2000 to pursue a degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Montana and subsequently joined the Navy in 2004. In March 2010, Balbale finished the candidacy program for the Navy Chaplain Corps.
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Last month the Regional Command Southwest’s area of operations in Helmand and Nimroz provinces had 47 chaplains, but none of them were Muslim.
“I felt that this is where God is calling me to,” Balbale told Marine public affairs.
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