THE AFGHAN MISSION – Canadian officer doubles as base imam
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — Parading through a chapel with a five-metre wooden cross hoisted overhead is an unusual way to get ready for Muslim prayers.
But you do what you have to do when you’re in a war zone.
“It’s not like I have any other options,” said Captain Amir ElMasry, a Canadian signals officer who for months has been the unofficial imam presiding over Friday prayer services on this sprawling base. Held in a makeshift mosque – a Christian chapel temporarily stripped each week of its religious insignia – Capt. ElMasry’s midday prayer meetings regularly draw about 100 Muslims, who work a variety of jobs around the base. Afterwards they shake his hand, kiss his cheeks and pray privately with him.
This is in spite of the fact that he has no religious training.”I’m in no way an Islamic scholar. Like any other Muslim, I’ve done some average Islamic studies,” he said.
He felt a calling to put those into practice last fall during Ramadan, when he attended the Muslim prayer service and learned that the group was struggling with language barriers. Able to speak both English and Arabic, Capt. ElMasry, normally based in Petawawa, volunteered to try leading the group.
He turned to the Internet for examples of simple sermons, and ultimately began composing his own.
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Tags: Afghanistan, Captain Amir ElMasry, Friday prayers, KANDAHAR, makeshift mosque, Muslim, Muslim prayers
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