So a Baptist from Oklahoma Walks into a Mosque...

The U.S. military is placing American religious mentors throughout the Afghan National Army with the task of encouraging the troops to exaggerate their adherence to Islam -- an unusual effort that has led people like James Hill, a "baby-faced" 27-year-old from Oklahoma, to befriend a 51-year-old mullah who has never shaved, and do things like give soldiers prayer rugs to distribute in villages and set up loudspeakers on checkpoints so locals can hear soldiers being called to prayer.

The theory behind this plan is that if nearby villagers realize that their country's army is, in fact, Muslim, then they will be more likely to support it instead of Taliban insurgents, who regularly ride through isolated villages on motorcycles, "spreading the word that the Afghan army is led by godless communists working to urge the country of Islam."

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2009/07/so-a-baptist-from-oklahoma-walks-into-a-mosque/21459/