(Israel)—[Israel Today]
Young Muslim girls are joining the fight, on Israel's side! These
courageous young women have a unique and important story to tell, and
together with a growing number of Christian Arab girls, they are
breaking new ground joining ranks with the Israeli army. (Photo via Israel Today)
When Private 'A', one of the Muslim girls
now serving in the IDF decided to enlist, her parents refused to support
her. She had to leave home and received support from the army as a lone
soldier.
"I need to support myself," she says, "and
it's really difficult, even with the help I get from the army. It is
rare for a Muslim girl to join the army, because our families will not
accept it. Even so, I would still recommend others to enlist. It is a
great, life-changing experience."
Private 'G', a devout Muslim, grew up in a
Jewish neighborhood. She decided to enlist after she saw all of her
neighbors going to serve.
"The army is an important part of
everyone's life in my neighborhood," she explained. "I wanted to serve
just like everyone else. I want to give something back to Israel, my
country."
She added that her mother has been very
supportive and sends her regular letters for moral support. "Mom said
that she would have enlisted also if it had been possible when she was
my age."
According to Private 'G', recent tensions
in Israel caused by young Muslims running through the streets attacking
Israeli soldiers with knives does not influence her commitment to serve
in the army.
"I am so angry, just like the other
soldiers, with these attacks. I am angry that anyone would try to harm
these soldiers who are supporting me," she said.
Private 'S' also grew up in a Jewish
neighborhood. "My whole life I went to school with Jewish girls, so I
wanted to finish high school, and enlist in the army, just like my
friends," she noted.
"I have never been ashamed of my [Muslim]
faith, not even in the army. I wanted to enlist because it is my duty to
serve and protect my country," she added. "I want to serve in a way
that makes a significant contribution."
According to Private 'S', the army allows
her to practice her religious traditions during her army service. "They
allow me to go home during the Muslim Ramadan fast, once a week to be
with my family," she explained.
"Some may think it is strange, but at home we actually celebrate some of the Jewish holidays like Purim."
Corporal 'M' is a Christian Arab serving in
a sensitive operational unit. "One day I saw a group of girl soldiers
walking by carrying machine guns. I asked them about their army service,
and it sounded really interesting. I didn't even know where one would
go to sign up, so they told me what I needed to do to enlist," she
recounted.
"After I enlisted," continued the corporal,
"I was walking around the [Arab] neighborhood where I live in uniform.
When people saw me they deleted me from their Facebook and erased my
number from their telephone. It was very hard, but a few friends still
supported me, and I have made a lot of new friends in the army," she
shared.
All the young Muslim and Christian soldiers
say that other girls are asking them about enlisting too. "I tell them
that I feel like I am doing something important for my country," said
Corporal 'M'. "And when I explain to the Jewish soldiers why I decided
to enlist, they all show real respect for the decision that I made."
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Source: www.breakingchristiannews.com/