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Subject: Muslim veterans group says no reports of harassment
Posted by: SRFord on Sat Nov 7 2009 9:28:00 AM
Message:

Muslim Veterans Group Says No Reports of Harassment of Islamic
Soldiers
Friday , November 06, 2009

By Joshua Rhett Miller


ADVERTISEMENTA Muslim veteran affairs organization says it has not
received reports of harassment from Islamic soldiers, contrary to
claims by a relative of the man authorities say is responsible for the
worst mass killing on a U.S. military base.

Abdul-Rashid Abdullah, deputy director of the American Muslim Armed
Forces and Veterans Affairs Council, told FoxNews.com that the
nonprofit group has not received a single report recently of a U.S.
soldier being harassed "simply because he was Muslim."

"That kind of report is inconsistent with what we've heard," Abdullah
said prior to a press conference in Washington to denounce Thursday's
shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that left 13 dead and 38 wounded. Maj.
Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39-year-old Army psychiatrist who was reportedly
due to be deployed later this month, is accused in the mass shooting.

Abdullah said his organization, which condemned the "unspeakable"
attack, serves "several thousand" Muslim soldiers.

SLIDESHOW: Deadly rampage at Fort Hood Army Base

Hasan was shot four times during the Thursday attack and remained
unconscious early Friday. He reportedly had told relatives in Virginia
that he began having second thoughts about his military career after
fellow soldiers harassed him for being a Muslim.

Hasan's aunt, Noel Hasan, of Falls Church, Va., told The Washington
Post her nephew wanted out of the military following the Sept. 11,
2001, terror attacks due to harassment about being a Muslim.

"Some people can take it and some people cannot," she told the
newspaper. "He had listened to all of that and he wanted out of the
military."

Nawar Shora, legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, expressed his sympathies to the victims and their relatives
on Friday.

"We were all shocked at the tragedy yesterday at Fort Hood and the
act of cowardice by the attacker," Shora said. "We were all attacked
yesterday. Let's remember that this was an attack on all Americans
and it’s a time for all Americans to come together in unity and in faith."

Alejandro Beutel, government liaison for the Muslim Public Affairs
Council, said the Muslim-American community is "appalled" by the
incident.

"We unequivocally denounce this heinous act against our brave men
and women serving in the military to protect our country," Beutel
said. "We pray for [the victims'] well-being and for the safety of the
entire nation."

Lt. Col. Les Melnyck, a Defense Department spokesman, said that as
of August, 3,557 active duty troops of roughly 1.4 million identified
themselves as being Muslim. According to the self-reported figures, the
largest religious preference identified was Roman Catholic (284,000),
followed by "no preference," he said.

"It's self-reported so you don't have to fill in that box," Melnyck said,
adding that 1,710 Muslims are currently serving in the Army, by far the
most of any service branch.



  • nothing to add as article speaks for itself

  • Current Thread:

       Muslim veterans group says no reports of harassment  --  SRFord   Sat Nov 7 2009 9:28:00 AM
          1,710 Muslims in the Army. We should probably keep an eye on them. **  --  vwahoov   Sat Nov 7 2009 11:22:44 AM
             There are a lot more than that. Then again, seeing combat  --  NBHoo   Sun Nov 8 2009 1:56:29 AM
             No, they are American heroes. FWIW McVey was kicked out of a milita when he   --  SRFord   Sat Nov 7 2009 11:37:03 AM
                Then they must not be true Muslims. 86 says so. **  --  vwahoov   Sat Nov 7 2009 12:02:58 PM
                   Nope, you are making that up. WJC blamed OKC bombings on Limbaugh.  --  SRFord   Sat Nov 7 2009 3:37:09 PM
                      I KNOW!!! **  --  vwahoov   Sat Nov 7 2009 7:24:26 PM

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