LT Mukhtar Haddadbelem, CHC, USN

 Chaplain Mukhtar Haddadbelem

Lieutenant Chaplain Haddad Belem was born in Burkina Faso, West Africa. In 1997, he memorized the Holy Qur'an and its meanings while studying in Tunisia.

Chaplain Belem earned a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies and Qur'anic Sciences and a Master of Divinity from the Islamic University of Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in 2006. He later earned a Master of Library and Information Science from the International Islamic University Malaysia in 2011 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Qur'an and Sunnah Studies from the same institution in 2021.

Before his commission in the United States Navy, Chaplain Belem accumulated more than thirteen years of full-time ministry experience serving Muslim communities throughout the United States. His ministerial assignments included service as Imam and Resident Scholar for the Islamic Society of Lake Charles, Louisiana; Imam, Resident Scholar, and Islamic Studies Instructor at Tarbiyah School at Masjid Isa Ibn Maryam in Newark, Delaware; Imam and Religious Leader at the Islamic Society of Greater Houston in Sugar Land, Texas; and Imam, Qur'an, Arabic, and Islamic Studies Instructor at the Islamic School of Irving, Texas. He also served as Imam and community religious leader for congregations in New York, including Masjid Al Firdaus and Masjid Al-Wadud in the Bronx.

Commissioned as a Navy Chaplain in May 2023, Chaplain Belem completed Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island, in September 2023 and the Professional Naval Leadership Course in November 2023. He is endorsed by the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council.

Chaplain Belem's first operational assignment was with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California, where he provided religious ministry and pastoral care to Marines, Sailors, and their families. During this assignment, he earned the Fleet Marine Force qualification (AQD 55F). He was promoted to Lieutenant in July 2024.

From November 2025 through August 2026, Chaplain Belem deployed in support of forward-operating forces in Okinawa and the Middle East. In recognition of his operational service, he was awarded the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.