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A native of Charlotte, N.C., Navy Chaplain (Lt. j.g.) Haneef Mubarak will be the Navy's fourth-ever Islamic chaplain when he rejoins the Navy next year.
Mubarak has been in the Navy now for 16 years, the past four of which he has spent at Hartford (Conn.) Seminary, studying to be an Islamic cleric.
"I enlisted in the Navy to be an electronics technician aboard submarines, and then I cross-rated to corpsman, where I worked as an advanced X-ray technician for seven years" said Mubarak. "I was going to graduate school while I was stationed in Pensacola, Fla. A year before I started grad school I talked with the Islamic endorser for chaplains and during the next year, we discussed the need for Islamic chaplains.
"At the time, there was only one on active duty," continued Mubarak. "With the increasing number of Muslims, especially after the Gulf War, the Navy needed Islamic representation in the Chaplain Corps. I decided to pursue (becoming an Islamic chaplain)."
In late August 2000, Mubarak was discharged from the Navy after accepting his commission for the chaplain program. The Navy gave him five years to complete seminary school. He graduated a few months ago.
The military saw a lot of its members convert to Islam after the end of the Gulf War. However, for Mubarak, Islam was introduced long before the Gulf War.
"The Islamic influence mainly came from my father's side of the family, and I became more sincere about my studies in Islam as a teenager," he said. "Like all of us, we are raised whatever way our parents bring us up and when we are older we have to make the decision about what we'll do or not do and for the most part in my adult life, I've always believed in Islam."
With only four Islamic chaplains in the Navy, they have their work cut out for them.
"From my vantage point, the mere fact that we have Islamic chaplains in the military shows the Navy is addressing the need for Islamic chaplains and representation in the chaplain ranks," said Mubarak. "But, as far the challenges go, those challenges lie in education; in making people understand what is proper and improper in Islamic belief.
"Being one in four Islamic chaplains, the greatest challenge is being available to address the individual needs of the Islamic Sailors. But then again, addressing the needs of Muslims is just one aspect of being a chaplain. We're chaplains, and we all have our own denominations and belief systems, but as part of our work as chaplains in the military's pluralistic environment, we want to care for all the Sailors. I don't think there is one chaplain in the military that dedicates half his time to his faith group," he continued.
Mubarak will soon begin an eight-month practicum and he said he has other personal goals he needs to complete. He also said he is readily looking forward to joining the Navy's ranks, where he will "educate others and establish in the minds of the Navy's members the fact that there is an Islamic presence that needs to be addressed."
While Mubarak said that education is his biggest motivator right now and the major reason for his being here is to educate people and make them better understand Islam, he reiterated that Islamic chaplains are here for all service members, regardless of their personal belief systems.
"All chaplains are here for Sailors and the Islamic chaplains are no exception. Of course, primarily, we represent our faith as Muslims, but I've been a Sailor for 12 years, I've been deployed, I've been married on active duty, I've had shipmates go through problems that I can address," he said. "Primarily, we are here just like other chaplains. We care for the needs and the security of our Sailors, so one can feel equally comfortable approaching an Islamic chaplain as well as any other chaplain in the Chaplain Corps."
