I was primarily interested in Kartuna because we would have to deal with the local government and population. Kartuna is predominantly Shi a Muslim. In the northern province of the country lives a Sunni Muslim minority people who are mostly ethnic Koronans. The majority of those who practice Islam in the world today follow Sunni. The Kartunans are Arabic people who come from a pure line and consider themselves the Arabs of Arabs.
Islamic tradition is the foundation of their society and family honor is highly valued.
The country is pro-west and an ally of the United States. The country has liberalized its attitude towards women and a western flavor has been introduced. Both groups are calling for a return to traditional Islamic values and the eradication of western influences. This was harder than one might think because the plan continued to change until the week we deployed. I wanted to contact the chaplains of these units to coordinate religious support during the running of the ISB and, during the first two weeks of planning, I received names and phone numbers of the chaplains who might participate.