.Muslim soldier from New Jersey serving in Iraq
CAMP ANACONDA, Iraq - Staff Sgt. Magda Khalifa is a long way from her Rutherford, N.J., home. The New Jersey native, who joined the military after Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, is working in the Sunni Triangle in a job that has brought her close to danger but has also given her no end of rewards.
Her position is especially interesting since she is a practicing Muslim at a time when many people in the Islamic world - including here in Iraq - see the United States as the enemy.
"I know this is a unique situation because there aren't that many Muslim soldiers serving," said Khalifa in an interview during a visit to this sprawling base a few miles from Forward Operating Base O'Ryan, where she is stationed. But Khalifa emphasized, "I'm an American, first and foremost, regardless of my religion."
Khalifa, who was born to an Egyptian father and a Colombian mother who emigrated to the United States in the late 1960s, joined the U.S. Army Reserves in March 2002, inspired to serve her country by the events of Sept. 11, 2001. She also followed a path taken by her younger sister, who attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and is now a captain in the Army.
"The girls are wearing the combat boots," said Khalifa, who has a younger brother as well.
Although she said it wasn't her main reason for enlisting in the military, Khalifa hopes to demonstrate to people that there are many Muslims who want to serve the United States.
The 32-year-old is a member of the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion, based out of Fort Dix, N.J. Her assignment brings her into constant contact with Iraqis in the area where she's based.
Civil affairs units are often the liaison between the military and the local population. Ideally, these units work with the Iraqis to come up with projects that are needed in the area, such as building a water-purification system or adding books to a local library.
Part of the job includes attending meetings with Iraqi community leaders such as tribal elders or security meetings that include representatives from the police and military. The idea, she said, isn't to tell them what the U.S. wants to do, but to take a pulse of what's going on in their communities.
"We listen to the noise, what exactly they're discussing, what affects their community, their wants and their needs," Khalifa said.
One of the biggest concerns that Khalifa said she hears from the Iraqis: the need for security and a desire for the American soldiers to stay. She said her area, which is mostly Shiia Muslim with some Sunni Muslim pockets, has seen little of the sectarian fighting that has led to a huge upswing in violence in Baghdad.
Khalifa, a petite woman who speaks in measured, well-thought-out sentences, says Iraqi women - many of whom wear the long, black head-covering often seen in Muslim countries - tend to feel more comfortable talking to her than with male soldiers.
Regardless of her gender, she emphasizes that she's a soldier first and foremost, wearing the same uniform, carrying the same weapon and accepting the same risks as her male counterparts.
This tour in Iraq, which began in April of this year, is the second time in Iraq for Khalifa. She has seen many changes since her first trip, in 2004.
"The biggest change is the presence of the Iraqi army. They're formed, developed, trained and they're running missions, securing Iraq," said Khalifa. "We did not have that available in 2004."
When it comes to the U.S. military, during Khalifa's first tour troops usually rode the Iraqi countryside in soft-skinned Humvees that offered little protection against roadside bombs. Now, troops never leave a base unless it's in an armored Humvee or other armored vehicles, such as tanks.
While she's never been wounded, Khalifa hasn't been far from danger. A car bomb that killed 72 people in 2004 was about 500 meters from the compound where she was staying in Baqubah.
Her husband - a former Marine and fellow heavy metal fan who she met at a concert by the band Anthrax - has been supportive of her deployment, which led to a big pay cut from her civilian computer job to her military salary.
But Khalifa, who is considering going onto active duty with the Army when she returns from this deployment, would not have it any other way.
"I enjoy the work that I'm doing. I see the immediate benefit and the immediate effect of our presence and our interaction with the Iraqis," said Khalifa. "They're very grateful for the assistance we provide. And they look to us as our friends."
AP Wire
Her position is especially interesting since she is a practicing Muslim at a time when many people in the Islamic world - including here in Iraq - see the United States as the enemy.
"I know this is a unique situation because there aren't that many Muslim soldiers serving," said Khalifa in an interview during a visit to this sprawling base a few miles from Forward Operating Base O'Ryan, where she is stationed. But Khalifa emphasized, "I'm an American, first and foremost, regardless of my religion."
Khalifa, who was born to an Egyptian father and a Colombian mother who emigrated to the United States in the late 1960s, joined the U.S. Army Reserves in March 2002, inspired to serve her country by the events of Sept. 11, 2001. She also followed a path taken by her younger sister, who attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and is now a captain in the Army.
"The girls are wearing the combat boots," said Khalifa, who has a younger brother as well.
Although she said it wasn't her main reason for enlisting in the military, Khalifa hopes to demonstrate to people that there are many Muslims who want to serve the United States.
The 32-year-old is a member of the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion, based out of Fort Dix, N.J. Her assignment brings her into constant contact with Iraqis in the area where she's based.
Civil affairs units are often the liaison between the military and the local population. Ideally, these units work with the Iraqis to come up with projects that are needed in the area, such as building a water-purification system or adding books to a local library.
Part of the job includes attending meetings with Iraqi community leaders such as tribal elders or security meetings that include representatives from the police and military. The idea, she said, isn't to tell them what the U.S. wants to do, but to take a pulse of what's going on in their communities.
"We listen to the noise, what exactly they're discussing, what affects their community, their wants and their needs," Khalifa said.
One of the biggest concerns that Khalifa said she hears from the Iraqis: the need for security and a desire for the American soldiers to stay. She said her area, which is mostly Shiia Muslim with some Sunni Muslim pockets, has seen little of the sectarian fighting that has led to a huge upswing in violence in Baghdad.
Khalifa, a petite woman who speaks in measured, well-thought-out sentences, says Iraqi women - many of whom wear the long, black head-covering often seen in Muslim countries - tend to feel more comfortable talking to her than with male soldiers.
Regardless of her gender, she emphasizes that she's a soldier first and foremost, wearing the same uniform, carrying the same weapon and accepting the same risks as her male counterparts.
This tour in Iraq, which began in April of this year, is the second time in Iraq for Khalifa. She has seen many changes since her first trip, in 2004.
"The biggest change is the presence of the Iraqi army. They're formed, developed, trained and they're running missions, securing Iraq," said Khalifa. "We did not have that available in 2004."
When it comes to the U.S. military, during Khalifa's first tour troops usually rode the Iraqi countryside in soft-skinned Humvees that offered little protection against roadside bombs. Now, troops never leave a base unless it's in an armored Humvee or other armored vehicles, such as tanks.
While she's never been wounded, Khalifa hasn't been far from danger. A car bomb that killed 72 people in 2004 was about 500 meters from the compound where she was staying in Baqubah.
Her husband - a former Marine and fellow heavy metal fan who she met at a concert by the band Anthrax - has been supportive of her deployment, which led to a big pay cut from her civilian computer job to her military salary.
But Khalifa, who is considering going onto active duty with the Army when she returns from this deployment, would not have it any other way.
"I enjoy the work that I'm doing. I see the immediate benefit and the immediate effect of our presence and our interaction with the Iraqis," said Khalifa. "They're very grateful for the assistance we provide. And they look to us as our friends."
AP Wire
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