American Soldiers Embrace Islam in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan American troops are engaged in "Operation Embrace Islam." Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment are expanding the program started by its predecessors in the province, the 10th Mountain Division’s 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry, to include refurbishing mosques in Paktika province. About 300 mosques have benefited directly through the program: new paint, solar-powered loudspeakers to announce prayer times, copies of the Quran, and new carpeting. The battalion hands out prayer rugs, turbans, shoes, teakettles and water jugs to local mullahs. These donations are expensive by Afghan standards, between $150 to $200, and the mosque refurbishing kits are even more expensive, sometimes costing several thousand dollars. There are about 35,000 villages and about the same number of mosques. The Americans have their work cut out for them to win hearts and minds by promoting religious objects in the province.