[ti:Muslim Chaplain Talks about Life in US Military] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]United States Army officer Khallid Shabazz [00:04.20]is one of a very small number [00:06.56]of American military chaplains who are Muslim. [00:11.08]Colonel Shabazz is also the highest-level Muslim chaplain [00:14.76]in the U.S. military, says the Army Times newspaper. [00:19.80]Although he has had great success, [00:22.12]Shabazz has faced many difficulties in his life. [00:26.20]A chaplain is a person who performs religious services [00:29.88]and gives help and guidance to people. [00:32.96]Shabazz serves as command chaplain for U.S. Army Central, [00:37.72]the command responsible for land operations in the Middle East. [00:43.44]With his position as a colonel, Shabazz is now responsible [00:48.00]for tens of thousands of soldiers and supervises other chaplains. [00:52.96]Like all military chaplains, [00:55.20]he has to be ready to deal with soldiers of all religions. [00:59.48]"The majority of my job is counseling about domestic issues [01:03.60]or" other kinds of difficulties "and only one percent of my job [01:08.56]is actual religious counseling," Shabazz explained. [01:12.96]Still, in order to better understand Christian soldiers [01:17.36]who make up the majority of the military, [01:20.32]Shabazz continued to study Christianity. [01:23.44]He even got a doctorate in Christian theology [01:26.68]from North Texas Theological Seminary. [01:29.96]Shabazz became a Muslim as a young man. [01:33.00]He believes his experience with both religions [01:36.32]has helped to make him a better chaplain. [01:40.40]Shabazz has had success despite difficult times in the past. [01:45.44]As a child, Shabazz was sexually abused by a family friend [01:50.92]— an experience, he said, that left him an angry young man. [01:56.04]When he first went to college, he said, [01:59.08]he became friendly with the wrong crowd. [02:02.44]He began drinking alcohol and partying [02:05.68]and often found himself in violent disagreements. [02:09.20]It was during one of these drunken fights [02:12.52]that he was beaten and shot in the back. [02:15.80]He survived but decided to put his studies on hold. [02:20.12]He went back to Louisiana, his home state. [02:23.80]The only job he could find was as a cleaner at a large store. [02:29.68]With few choices available to him, Shabazz joined the military. [02:35.16]It was there he first read The Autobiography of Malcolm X. [02:40.56]"I found a lot to inspire me in his story," said Shabazz. [02:45.20]He added, "I wanted to be educated [02:48.24]and to stand for something bigger than myself. [02:51.52]So I decided to become like Malcolm...." [02:55.28]Shabazz's new identity as a Muslim came in the early 1990's. [03:00.48]The change was not received well by all. [03:04.08]He faced discrimination from other soldiers [03:06.92]and the displeasure of his Christian family. [03:10.28]He was ready to quit the military. [03:13.12]Then he met with an Army chaplain. [03:15.48]The officer persuaded Shabazz not only to stay in the army [03:19.88]but to become a chaplain himself. [03:22.76]Shabazz became a chaplain in 1998, [03:26.48]having studied Arabic in Jordan along the way. [03:30.84]He also earned two master's degrees [03:33.40]at universities in Connecticut and California. [03:36.84]Shabazz says there are five Muslim chaplains in the army, [03:41.48]three in the Air Force, and one in the Navy. [03:45.80]Shabazz added there is more work to be done. [03:48.84]Unlike other faiths, Shabazz said, [03:51.68]he has not met any Muslim chaplain assistants [03:55.32]— officers who help chaplains in their work. [03:59.12]But, he said, "It's easier today to be a Muslim soldier [04:03.28]in the army than when I began." [04:07.04]I'm John Russell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM