Chaplains seek cultural, religious understanding
By DAVID LOWE Staff Writer

The Rev. Mike Kuhn listens during a recent symposium at Tyson's Corners Retreat and Conference Center as retired U.S. Army chaplain Larry Adams-Thompson discusses past deployment to Iraq. Kuhn, a missionary with Arab World Ministries, and Adams-Thompson spoke to 4th Infantry Division chaplains about interacting with Muslim leaders.

A recent officer professional development seminar at Tyson's Corners Retreat and Conference Center allowed chaplains with the 4th Infantry Division to deepen their understanding of Islam and Middle Eastern culture.

Retired Army chaplain Larry Adams-Thompson and the Rev. Mike Kuhn, a missionary with Arab World Ministries, met with chaplains and chaplain assistants -- who make up "unit ministry teams" in the Army -- to explain methods of cultural understanding and interaction with Middle Easterners, specifically Iraqis and Afghans.

Adams-Thompson's presentations addressed the chaplains' role as advisers to their commanders, who try to respect the religious beliefs of Middle East inhabitants when designing maneuvers and other elements of their military campaigns.

Both in their formal, pre-arranged meetings with Islamic religious leaders and when they meet Muslims in passing, chaplains -- as non-combatants -- can interact with Middle Easterners in ways diplomats and soldiers cannot, Adams- Thompson said.

"As we get to know one another barriers begin to crumble," he said.

Once, when talking with a mufti (an Islamic scholar who interprets Quranic law) Adams-Thompson got to explain his own faith and his personal relationship with Christ.

"The mufti was profoundly impacted by such a personal story of faith," the retired chaplain said.

Although he did not discuss doctrine with the mufti, Adams- Thompson said his story showed the Islamic leader that Christians rely heavily on their relationship with God.

Islam, in contrast, does not contain a clear "theology of sin" explaining how sin alienates man from God, Kuhn said, nor does the religion speak of intimacy with Allah through redemption.

"The sense of the immediacy of God is often missing," said Kuhn.

The seminar at Tyson's Corners did not address theology or train chaplains for evangelism, though, said Lt. Col. Jim Carter, division chaplain for the 4th Infantry Division. Instead, the symposium helped members of unit ministry teams identify ways to understand and respect Middle Eastern culture without compromising their Christian convictions.

"We want to understand the Muslims and the religion of Islam better in order to deepen relationships and earn their trust," Carter said.

The history of Westerners' contact with the Middle East poses a challenge to harmony between Islamic societies and the West, Kuhn and Adams-Thompson said.

Kuhn describes the Islamic world's understanding of its relations with the West as "a loaded history," made particularly flammable by Middle Easterners' consciousness of the Crusades.

"Their reading of history clashes with ours," he said.

For example, Kuhn said as a young Christian he considered the medieval religious wars exclusively a "Catholic" matter, whereas many Muslims blame the entire West -- Protestant and Catholic -- and continue to harbor strong resentment.

American involvement in the Middle East also has created ani- mosity between Muslims and the West, Kuhn said. Many Middle Easterners consider the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the Six Days' War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973 as episodes that illustrate a pattern of interference by the United States.

American support for the Shah of Iran during the Iranian Revolution, the Gulf War and the current war in Iraq also have damaged relations between the Middle East and the United States, Kuhn said.

In his interaction with Muslims, Adams-Thompson has seen a mix of positive and negative reactions toward the West. In moderate Islamic countries like Jordan and Oman, and even in Pakistan, diplomats occasionally distinguish between the average U.S. citizen and the foreign policies pursued by American leaders, explained Adams-Thompson.

The retired chaplain considers this a rare and positive development, because Islam regards law and politics as deeply intertwined with religion. As a result, many Middle Easterners do not realize some Americans dissent from the U.S. foreign policies many Muslims resent.

"I think it's a good thing when they see the president of the United States doesn't always do what the average American thinks," Adams- Thompson said.

On the other hand, many Iraqis still regard American intervention in their country as "uninvited," he said. A Syrian businessman told the retired chaplain that American presence in the Middle East since Sept. 11, 2001 has fueled much of the region's anger toward the United States. The businessman added that a swift exit strategy in Iraq would improve relations.

"I think we're making tremendous ground," Adams-Thompson said, "and at the same time we're diminishing our strides forward. If you're looking for solutions, having the military here in their face every day is not the best way to do it."

While the roots of terrorism remain a complex issue, Kuhn said, the missionary traces most anti- American sentiments to radicals' outrage over non-Muslims "occupying" lands they consider Muslim territory.

"The true fundamentalists want to rid the whole Arab world of American forces," he said.

Kuhn and Adams-Thompson, however, believe efforts to understand and communicate with Muslims are showing progress. Unit ministry teams fulfill a unique role, they said, both in relating to Iraqi religious leaders and in helping commanders accommodate civilians' customs and heritage.

"Can good come of this evil thing?" Adams-Thompson asked. "I think it can, and it is."