Coffetoday Nov 22, 2010 – Two soldiers stationed at bases located in the U.S. say that they have faced constant harassment in relation to the Muslim faith, renewing questions about the role of religion in the world’s largest armed forces.
Specialist Zachari Klawonn, 21 years, filed a lawsuit planned by a group that is named the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (Military Religious Freedom Foundation – MRFF), alleges that there is a “systematic problem” with Islamophobia in Fort Hood, Texas, where he was placed, and throughout the U.S. army.
The second soldier, Pvt Nasser Abdo, 20 years old, is waiting to hear whether he will be granted with conscientious objector status (status of the refusal of military duty on the basis of freedom of opinion, consciousness, or religion), and respectfully released from the Army. If the application is rejected, he said that he would say that he would refuse deployment to Afghanistan and likely will face a prison term. Born in Texas of an American mother and a Palestinian father, Abdo adopted Islam at the age of 17 years. He signed up two years later in April 2009, after attending University in Dubai.
Abdo felt he would be “a great asset” for the Army because he can relate to the religion and culture with the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, where more than 150,000 U.S. troops deployed.
However, during basic training at Fort Bennings in Georgia, Abdo claims that he was harassed by other soldiers. He was asked to play a terrorist in military exercises. The soldiers accused him of wanting to kill Jewish soldiers at the base. In the meantime, they told his superiors that he was not able to kill the enemy, in an effort to make it out of the military, Abdo said.