*Just a note that I was Muslim while serving in the U.S. Navy, not “converting” after being discharged.

http://www.freep.com/article/20091111/NEWS05/91111055/1001/NEWS/Detroit-area-Muslim-vets-celebrate-holiday-pray-for-Fort-Hood-victims

Detroit-area Muslim veterans celebrate, pray

By Niraj Warikoo
Free Press Staff Writer

With a backdrop of American flags and a picture of the Quran, local Muslims who served in the U.S. military gathered inside a Detroit mosque today to mark Veterans Day.“We salute all the veterans today,” said Shelton Hasan, 54, of Detroit, to a crowd at Masjid Wali Muhammad in Detroit. “We honor you for serving.”

The gathering started with a singing of the U.S. national anthem followed by a silent prayer for the victims of the shooting in Fort Hood, Texas, last week. The shooting has brought attention to Muslims who serve in the U.S. military since the shooter was a Muslim. One conservative Christian group has called for a ban on Muslims serving in the U.S. military.

But those who attended today’s ceremony said what the shooter did has absolutely nothing to do with their faith.

Hasan served in the Army from 1975 to 1977. He said he gained a lot from the experience.

“They made a man out of me, and made me responsible,” he said.

Dawud Walid, a Navy veteran who is now head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, attended the ceremony in a building that is the oldest mosque in Detroit with a predominantly African-American congregation.

Walid said he hopes people will not paint all Muslims with a broad-brush “based on the actions of one sick individual.”

“We honor all who have and continue to defend our nation through their service,” Walid said.