Michael Weinstein has repeatedly demonstrated an animosity toward the association of the US military with the Christian Bible.  In 2009, his Military Religious Freedom Foundation opposed a Chaplain bringing Swahili Bibles to Iraq, despite the fact they were requested by third country nationals supporting the US military effort.  The “religious freedom” organization opposed support for the religious freedom of US allies.

In 2007, Weinstein highly publicized a cropped photograph of a US Army trainee posing with his M-16 and his Bible — alongside a similarly photographed Hamas suicide bomber.  (The photos can be seen here; the original article was written by Jason Leopold, currently an editor for TruthOut, for which Weinstein is a board member and fundraiser.)  Weinstein’s MRFF is quoted saying “fundamentalist Christianity” in the US military “is starting to mirror Islamic fundamentalism.”  (Tellingly, he never made similar statements about photos of Jewish Soldiers and their weapons, some of which can be seen here.)

Weinstein’s most recent complaint is apparently in a hallway of quotes at the Air Force Academy.  One of the quotes in the hallway is allegedly from the Bible.

In an odd contrast, Weinstein seems to be supportive of associations of the Koran with military service.  Though he was upstaged by CAIR in the press, Weinstein promised to send one Koran to the Afghan National Army — notably, not Afghan civilians — for every one Florida Pastor Terry Jones burned.  In addition, he publicly stated his intent to have the US military deliver the religious texts to Afghanistan.  Apparently, he and his organization oppose an American military Chaplain providing asked-for Bibles, but support official military distribution of Korans even when they’re not requested.  His hypocrisy wasn’t well received even by his own supporters, some of whom recanted their prior financial support of his organization as a result.

Ironically, the Department of Defense recently published an article on the swearing-in of Afghan National Army recruits.  In the accompanying photos, the US-backed military recruits take their oath to support “God and Country” on Korans laying next to their US-supplied weapons:

Official Caption:

Recruits take the oath of enlistment during an Afghan National Army ceremony in Regional Military Training Center – Kandahar. More than 1400 recruits renewed their vow to defend Afghanistan and its people by placing their hands over the Koran and swearing to be faithful to god and country. (Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernesto Hernandez Fonte) 

Weinstein’s Koran stunt was little more than an opportunistic ploy for publicity, a late-game effort to coat-tail on the international attention Jones was receiving.  (The Jones brouhaha had nothing to do with religious freedom in the US military.)  That he was willing to take such a step, though, again demonstrates the intellectual inconsistency of his actions with his stated position.

In this instance, Weinstein’s prior condemnation of Christian activities in the US military contradicts his public plans to support non-Christian ones.  Despite his claim of defending the Constitution, his true agenda could not be more clear — and it has nothing to do with “religious freedom” in the US military.

If Jones had followed through on this plans to burn the Korans, the Afghan military recruits could have been swearing their allegiance on Korans supplied by Weinstein’s MRFF, in a display of religious association Weinstein would supposedly oppose.  Would he have claimed they, like US Christians, were a mirror of Hamas?

Given that its Christianity with which Weinstein is “at war,” it doesn’t seem likely.