6.14.2004
Muslim "Conscientious Objector" Jailed, Discharged
From the Army Times
Gina Cavallaro & Jane McHugh
Times staff writers
10 June 04
A 1st Infantry Division soldier in Germany who refused to deploy to Iraq, citing his Muslim beliefs against fighting fellow Muslims, was sentenced to 14 months confinement and given a bad conduct discharge, according to a published report.
Sgt. 1st Class Abdullah Webster, 38 and with 18 years of Army service, pleaded guilty to two counts of disobeying a lawful order and one count of missing movement June 3 at a court-martial hearing, the military-owned newspaper Stars and Stripes reported June 7. He had applied to be a conscientious objector but was turned down at the unit level. His appeal process is continuing, the newspaper said.
Webster told his commanders he would not deploy based on guidance he received from Muslim clerics, one of whom, Air Force Capt. Hamza Al-Mubarak, testified for the defense that Webster had done the right thing, Stars and Stripes said.
But it was pointed out at the court-martial by Webster's former commander in a Kosovo peace keeping deployment, Lt. Col. Thomas Quigley, that Webster did not qualify as a conscientious objector because he was not opposed to all wars, just wars in Muslim countries, Quigley said ...
The fact that some of his fellow Muslims are wont to blow themselves, and dozens of innocent civilians, to pieces, does kind of weaken the "our religion doesn't do war" argument
Gina Cavallaro & Jane McHugh
Times staff writers
10 June 04
A 1st Infantry Division soldier in Germany who refused to deploy to Iraq, citing his Muslim beliefs against fighting fellow Muslims, was sentenced to 14 months confinement and given a bad conduct discharge, according to a published report.
Sgt. 1st Class Abdullah Webster, 38 and with 18 years of Army service, pleaded guilty to two counts of disobeying a lawful order and one count of missing movement June 3 at a court-martial hearing, the military-owned newspaper Stars and Stripes reported June 7. He had applied to be a conscientious objector but was turned down at the unit level. His appeal process is continuing, the newspaper said.
Webster told his commanders he would not deploy based on guidance he received from Muslim clerics, one of whom, Air Force Capt. Hamza Al-Mubarak, testified for the defense that Webster had done the right thing, Stars and Stripes said.
But it was pointed out at the court-martial by Webster's former commander in a Kosovo peace keeping deployment, Lt. Col. Thomas Quigley, that Webster did not qualify as a conscientious objector because he was not opposed to all wars, just wars in Muslim countries, Quigley said ...
The fact that some of his fellow Muslims are wont to blow themselves, and dozens of innocent civilians, to pieces, does kind of weaken the "our religion doesn't do war" argument
# posted by Frank_D @ 08:11 
