SPC Zachari Klawonn, who has previously voiced vague complaints of mistreatment in the military because of his Islamic faith, recently gave an interview to the Arabic language channel of al Jazeera.  The segment was reportedly titled “The Right In America Declared War On Islam Inside and Outside America.”  In the interview, Klawonn has nothing positive to say about the US military — even as he wore the uniform on-screen:

Interviewer: …How can you be talking about suffering when the military establishment claims that it is the most open toward minorities toward women, and toward all those who suffer in society in general?

Zachari Klawonn: …The reality is that there is a sense of Islamophobia and there is a big misunderstanding of the Islamic faith and that contributes to people’s negative notions coming into the military.  Also the training we get and the information we are subject to constitutes propaganda against Islam.

He also demurred, again, when asked to specify how he had been mistreated:

Interviewer: …Can you give us some examples of the harassment you are talking about, which you experienced personally?

Zachari Klawonn: Sure, I received numerous disrespectful comments and even harassment to my personal property from an array of soldiers, even in some instances from the command itself.

Interestingly, according to CNSNews, Klawonn “informed” his commander of the interview “on August 24th at 8:23 am,” which was only a few hours before the live interview was conducted.  There is no public indication Klawonn sought permission to wear his uniform for the interview, though that specific issue was addressed in a lengthy and critical statement from Fort Hood:

Every soldier is entitled to their own opinion. SPC Zachari Klawonn was not reprimanded for doing the Al Jazeera interview in his uniform. He is able to speak of his experiences in the Army and his personal situation. However, he is in no way considered an official spokesman for the military. He neither has the depth of experience nor the time in to make credible sweeping statements about other Soldiers and posts. He has served two years in the Army.

SPC Klawonn is working with an organization called The Military Religious Freedom Foundation and they have stated that he intends to sue the military for actions taken against him by Soldiers in his unit.

We cannot speak to the specifics of his case as there is an ongoing investigation into the matter. We can tell you that we were informed by the Killeen Police Department that he was charged with DWI on Aug. 27 while driving his car downtown. This incident is in no way related to his television interviews.

Fort Hood takes any complaints of discrimination very seriously. There is zero tolerance for any form of discrimination. The allegations made by SPC Klawonn have been and continue to be thoroughly investigated by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division.
 
DoD Instruction 1300.17 outlines our policy on religion.  That policy states:

“The Department of Defense places a high value on the rights of members of the Military Services to observe the tenets of their respective religions. It is DoD policy that requests for accommodation of religious practices should be approved by commanders when accommodation will not have an adverse impact on mission accomplishment, military readiness, unit cohesion, standards, or discipline.

The Department of Defense does not endorse any one religion or religious organization, and provides free access of religion for all members of the military services.  The Department respects (and supports by its policy) the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs.” 

SPC Zachari L. Klawonn is assigned to 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. He entered the military in July 2008.

Elsewhere, the Army reportedly “disagreed” with Klawonn’s “inaccurate” statements.  Reports also note there are nearly 200 Islamic adherents on Fort Hood, none of whom have lodged complaints or substantiated Klawonn’s claims.

Klawonn’s comments also stand in stark contrast to examples of the US military “supporting” Islam, including a taxpayer-funded hajj.