Tag Archives: Islam

In Reversal, Weinstein Defends Christian Military Service

In a stark departure from his normal incendiary vitriol, Michael Weinstein recently took the unprecedented step of defending Christians serving in the US military.

Read carefully [emphasis added, as quoted at the American Muslim]:

Muslim-American service members, as well as their comrades-in-arms of all faith groups, know full well that the sworn oaths of loyalty to the mission of serving the American people and protecting our cherished constitutional freedoms take precedence over religious identity.

This is a complete reversal of prior accusations that Christians in Read more

US Military Fights Extremists…Online, Foreign and Domestic

A recent article at the New York Times highlighted an effort by the US military to engage in an information campaign with those who might be, or might be recruiting, “militant adversaries in cyberspace.”

The “war” they’re fighting?

In recent months, Mr. [Ardashir] Safavi and his teammates spotted posts that included doctored photographs of Osama bin Laden purporting to prove that Al Qaeda’s leader had not died in an American commando raid. They turned up blogs stating that the Pentagon was accelerating war plans for invading many Muslim nations, and others amplifying Taliban accusations that American troops rape with impunity across Afghanistan.

These targeted sites mentioned in the article appear to be primarily foreign language and are apparently foreign run:  Read more

USAFA Accepts Pagans, Druids, witches, etc.

The Los Angeles Times is fast becoming a frequent commenter on all things military and religion, with the US Air Force Academy high on that list.  In an unusual twist from the norm, its articles are biased toward the positive.

(For example, it published the original story about the baptism of US Marines to which Michael Weinstein objected, and most recently gave favorable coverage to the Camp Pendleton cross, now a controversy in its own right.)

In its most recent article on the topic, it notes the “Air Force Academy adapts to pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans:”

“We’re here to accommodate all religions, period,” [USAFA Chaplain (Maj) Darren] Duncan says. The building of the Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle on the hilltop, he says, is no different from the past conversion of chapel rooms into worship spaces that serve this year’s 11 Muslim, 16 Buddhist and 10 Hindu cadets. There are also 43 self-identified atheist cadets whose beliefs, or lack of them, Duncan says are also to be respected.

Never one to let good will go unspoilt, the article quotes Michael Weinstein as saying he Read more

Removal of Army Chapel Cross an “Attack on Christianity”

An unnamed US Soldier in Afghanistan took personal umbrage at the removal of a cross from the local chapel.

U.S. soldiers assigned to Camp Marmal in northern Afghanistan said the removal of a cross from an Army chapel has created a “huge controversy” and at least one soldier called it a “direct attack against Christianity and Judaism.”

How Judaism plays into it isn’t exactly clear, but if the facts are correctly laid out in the article, he may actually have a point:

The chapel is used for general Protestant services and a Baptist church service. There is a smaller chapel used for other services. The camp also has a mosque and a German chapel that is used for Catholic services.

In other words, every faith group has a place to ‘call their own.’  What do you think the chances are the mosques are identifiably Islamic?

Irrelevant, some will say:  The regulation says Read more

US Army Removes Cross from Afghan Chapel

FoxNews repeats the Politico report noting the US Army pulled a cross off the front of a US military chapel at Camp Marmal, Afghanistan, which was dedicated just a few months ago.

Before and after courtesy photo originally published at Politico.com.

At first, this situation seems similar to the US Army’s removal of crosses from the chapel in Kosovo a few years ago.

However, the current issue is actually somewhat more complex.

First, US military policies are not necessarily Read more

Military Atheists Seek Status as Lay, Faith Group Leaders

Atheists in the US Army continue to criticize the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program and its Global Assessment Tool.  One portion of it is intended to help Soldiers assess their spiritual fitness — to which some atheists have objected, both in letter and principle.  Much like their opposition to anything “bigger” or “higher” than themselves, the atheists’ objection to the principle of spiritual fitness has caused them to see offense even in non-“religious” questions, like whether or not their lives have purpose.

Capt. Ryan Jean wanted to perform well on the Army’s psychological evaluation for soldiers. But he also wanted to answer the questions honestly. So when he was asked whether he believed his life had a lasting purpose, Jean, an atheist, saw no choice but to say no.

Apparently military atheists claim no lasting purpose in their lives.  Honestly.

Unfortunately, the article conflates two separate questions with which Read more

NYC Arrest Makes 11 Islamic Terrorists Targeting US Military

A variety of news sites reported the breaking news that New York City police had arrested Jose Pimentel, a native of the Dominican Republic who had moved from upstate New York to the city.

The intended targets of Jose Pimentel…were U.S. military personnel who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as U.S. postal facilities and police stations, according to Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

The suspect was described by Bloomberg as an “al Qaeda sympathizer,” though he is not believed to have ever made direct contact with anyone in the organization.

District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., reportedly said

On his website, Pimentel discussed the duty of every Muslim to wage war against the west.

Pimentel would make Read more

Abdo Pleads Not Guilty to Bomb Charges

PFC Naser Abdo pled not guilty to charges he planned to kill American Soldiers at Fort Hood by blowing up a local restaurant and shooting any survivors.

Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo answered “sure do” Thursday when U.S. Magistrate Jeff Manske asked if he understood the charges, and said “sure do have none” when asked if he had questions about the charges.

Prosecutors reportedly plan to try him first on the charges which carry the longest sentences.  He faces life in prison if convicted.

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