Ronit Y. Stahl, author of “Enlisting Faith,” gives a brief history of chaplaincy in the military. Then, the filmmakers of the new documentary Three Chaplains discuss the challenging nature of the work of Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military. They follow two men’s careers and that of the first female Muslim chaplain in the U.S. Armed Forces. The filmmakers describe the pressing issues these chaplains confront daily and tell how they – two civilians – were moved and changed during seven years working on the film.

150-character description: A history professor describes the development of modern military chaplaincy. Then, the filmmakers of the documentary Three Chaplains explain the challenges and achievements of Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military.

Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America
Ronit Y. Stahl is an associate professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley, who has studied how military chaplaincy evolved. She describes how, during World War II, the misidentification of one dead American Jewish soldier as Catholic led to the much more sophisticated and diverse military chaplaincy of today.

“It’s Lonely Being a Muslim in the Military”
Filmmakers David Washburn and Razi Jafri introduce the three military Muslim chaplains profiled in their new documentary and describe how they came to spend seven years following them around the country. They talk about the challenges these chaplains face – ignorance about Islam, questions about their loyalty, doubts about their ability to serve – and walk us up to the present in the lives of these two men and one woman.

“I Saw a Lot of Myself in Them”: How the filmmakers of ‘Three Chaplains’ were changed in its making.
David Washburn, who comes from a Jewish background, and Razi Jafri, a practicing Muslim talk about the impact following three Muslim military chaplains had on their spiritual journeys.

Share This Episode