Muslim soldier faces deployment and says ‘no’
Naser Abdo, a Muslim soldier stationed at Fort Campbell, KY who has been in the Army a year or so has refused to deploy with his unit (there’s video at the link);
According to documents provided to The Associated Press, Abdo cited Islamic scholars and verses from the Quran as reasons for his decision to ask for separation from the Army.
“I realized through further reflection that God did not give legitimacy to the war in Afghanistan, Iraq or any war the U.S. Army would conceivably participate in,” he wrote.
Apparently, he wasn’t aware that we are at war – because he’s not more Muslim this year than he was last year. The religion didn’t change in the last year. Hundreds of Muslims are serving this very minute without pretending to shit themselves over discovering they might be deployed. This rocket scientist waited until his unit was ordered to deploy before he pulled out his Muslim card.
“There was racial slurs,” Abdo told Channel 4. “On several occasions, I’ve missed prayers — sometimes, often times, involuntarily.”
A recommendation from the commander of his battalion’s rear detachment based at Fort Campbell said if Abdo deployed to a combat zone, he could jeopardize the lives of fellow soldiers as well as his own because of his convictions as a conscientious objector.
Sure I’m glad he didn’t deploy because he was a greater danger to those around him than any enemy he might encounter, but as an American tax payer, I want restitution for this gumball’s training and pay up to this point.
In fact, i want them all to pay me back…Jesse MacBeth, Geoff Millard, Matthis Chiroux…all of them. Every single one who made a promise and failed to fulfill it. In fact, I volunteer to be the repo man. Nothing would make me happier to use Matthis as a club to shake down Millard for the millions Millard owes us taxpayers.
Category: Military issues
payback is an excellent plan
We’re supposed to believe that there’s no inherent conflict between Muslim faith and faithful military service in the US military…
…Until they themselves decide that there is such a conflict. Then they fill out their little conscientious objector slip and want to go home.
You’re right, there are a lot of Muslims serving right now in the US Military. That’s why Islam is not an excuse. Oh yeah, and last I checked, Islam doesn’t have any objection to war.
Hmmm, failure to obey a lawful order might be appropriate. Dereliction of duty might be another charge to stack on. A little brig time at Ft Leavenworth & a Dishonorable Discharge would be what I would like to see, but that’s me. He’ll probably get what he wants.
Wait a minute is he saying that Moe Ham Head predicted the creation of the United States 800 years before it happened? Hell Nostradamus wasn’t that good.
So I guess he would be cool with say Iraq invading Kuwait?
“…or any war the U.S. Army would conceivably participate in.”
He didn’t say he was against WAR; he said he was on THE WRONG SIDE…
REVOKE CITIZENSHIP. NOW.
Hmmmm…I wonder what part of the Oath of Enlistment or his contract confused this poor fucker? At least he didn’t shoot up the place screaming, “Allah Akbar.”
This time.
I agree, give him a lawyer, a fair trial, and deploy his cowardly self to the nearest military prison. Let him pray from his cell.
I can’t give him to much shit because if I wanted to go to Afghanistan, I would have re-enlisted. That also goes for everyone who was of able mind and body, regardless of years of service, who decided to get out. Got to put your money where your mouth is.
However, I think he’s smart enough to know what the details of his faith where when he signed up. I would be ok with it if he went and came back and then disagreed with what the mission is. My first deployment radically changed my view on the war in Iraq and I spoke out against it pretty soon after coming home. So I understand how first-hand experience can change a persons mind, and it changed many in my unit who got out as soon as they could. However I still deployed under the Stop-Loss policy even though I was, and am, against it and the war. I wasn’t going to throw away my future and I wasn’t going to leave my friends behind when many of them where going to go off on their first deployment with, in some but not all cases, shitty leadership.
If he has been discriminated in anyway there needs to be an open and honest investigation and if person(s) are found guilty then punish them.
Instead of letting him out, keep him on Rear-D. He doesn’t have to fight if he stays. Just a possible solution.
@ Casey: I agree, IF there were actually some sort of discrimination occurring, that should be investigated. However, MY experience has taught me that people like to scream, “discrimination” or “sexual harassment” (allegations from women) when things don’t go their way or they are dirtbags and are being subjected to some form of discipline. I’ve had BOTH allegations conferred on me and every time they were found to be not true. IMO, it’s just a way for dirtbags to try and get out from under the pile of shit they placed on themselves.
Except that for any person who is a honest to God CO there are at least three people faking something to get out of deploying. So how you keep a system that honestly can ID the real COs against those that would play the system?
On a side note, one unit in Alaska was set to go and later their orders were canceled because they were not needed. The Females that got pregnant to avoid the deployment are sure enjoying this news.
Casey,
I agree with the need to investigate discrimination but in this case it is a red herring. The refusal to deploy and discrimination are distinct issues that are not correlated. If he had an incident of discrimination he should have reported it when it occured, not tack it on when he decided to refuse to deploy. By adding it to the argument, to justify his decision, or gain sympathy he actually does more damage to people that are truely discriminated against.
No way, Casey. I completely disagree. I can guarantee you that there are many people who change their minds on war AFTER combat and they may be scared to do it- A natural emotion.
But most of us have the balls to continue on with the mission whether we like it or not- even you.
The fact that he signed up while we were already engaged means he is using our rules against us because of his “faith”. I gotta call bullshit on this.
Get him out and, although it won’t happen, payback would be nice. People who sign up to serve, knowing what could happen don’t deserve any passes. You sign, you bind. No wussing or crying about what you don’t get to do. If you’re gonna cry about it, go find some girls to play with.
Racial slurs? Wah. Show me the proof. Somebody surely got a counseling statement if he had bothered to cover his ass. Those little MFR notebooks do come in handy for such purposes. I still use one. Nope. Dump his sorry ass back to his own country if it’s not this one, because he’ll be the next Nadal Hassan.
“…instead of letting him out, keep him on Rear-D. He doesn’t have to fight if he stays. Just a possible solution.”
Bullshit; he’s an 11B, and he knew what he was signing up for. Why should he get a free pass when the other InfantryMEN in his unit are taking it to the enemy?
Assuming he’s smart enough, re-classify him to Medic…Line/Combat Medic, and let him serve in combat.
There were quite a few Quaker/Mennonite and other COs (legit COs, not cowards like this fuck stick) who served in SVN in Infantry units as Combat Medics. They refused to carry weapons and packed extra medical supplies in their ammo pouches…many were highly decorated and were respected by the Soldiers they served with, and rightly so.
Differences is, they were brave men…this kid is a chickenshit and potential mooslimb radical, pure and simple.
Give him the Big Chicken Dinner and he can serve time til his unit returns. When they get back he can board a plane for Pakistan.
I can’t give him to much shit because if I wanted to go to Afghanistan, I would have re-enlisted. That also goes for everyone who was of able mind and body, regardless of years of service, who decided to get out. Got to put your money where your mouth is.
I’ll take exception with that. You did what was expected of you and so did every one here whether it was one deployment or more. Is there a magic number of deployments? 1 deployment isn’t putting your money where your mouth is? 2? 3?
That’s kinda what I was thinking Tanker, just hadn’t decided how to say it yet. Your’s works for me. 🙂
F*ck him. Court martial his ass, just like that LTC who said he wasn’t going. Otherwise it’s special treatment for muslims and second-class citizenship for everyone else.
This punk is using the weakest of excuses, plus he says that there is no wars the US would fight in that he would approve of. I don’t recall seeing anything on my “voluntary” enlistment papers that said I had final approval on where the gummint would send me. That’s the difference, Casey; we sign on the dotted line, we dance where they tell us, when they tell us, and for how long they tell us. This little bastard is whining that he doesn’t approve of the war; then why did he enlist, especially as 11bang-bang?
Ok, I’m gonna stop there, because I can feel a psychotic episode coming on if I continue. Suffice it to say the little fucker should go to the Kansas Gravel Academy for the length of his enlistment, get a BDC, and have to pay restitution to the gummint.
Just admit it, Jonn. You’ve been watching a bit too much of this. http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&warned=True&client=mv-google&hl=en&v=UC6cA_lrHOY
“There was racial slurs,” Abdo told Channel 4. “On several occasions, I’ve missed prayers — sometimes, often times, involuntarily.”
Ok, clown. Here’s how it goes. You join the military, you’re their property. They’re not going to provide you 83 times a day to pray…they’re going to beat your ass and turn you into a SOLDIER. An AMERICAN SOLDIER. You pray in your head when you can because battle doesn’t take TIME OFF for you to PRAY. If you don’t understand this fact, or aren’t willing to allow for that understanding……DON’T JOIN THE AMERICAN MILITARY.
I grow very tired of all this crap.
I want to be clear about the harassment issue. I agree that he should have filed a complaint when it happened because regardless of how it was treated it would have started a paper trail and added legitimacy to his claims.
Also, about deployments… there is no magic number. But I think if people are for the wars they should have stayed in and saw it though to the end. How can you be pro Iraq and/or Afghanistan war then leave the fight? That’s just my take on it.
I’m not a man of any faith myself, but there have been comments poking fun at his faith. Why? That’s where the people who claim you are racists or bigots get their fuel from. I do think their are things that people say here that are loaded. Not all of you, but some of you.
I do find it odd that he joined as Combat Arms, 11B, then has this change of heart. Keeping him on Rear-D I still think is the best option. When I came back both times, Rear-D didn’t have things ready, crappy rooms, torn furniture, It seemed like it was smooth sailing for them because there wasn’t a whole lot to do. I say you put them to work repairing rooms and busting their asses every single day to help out Families and make sure things are in the best order when Soldiers return. Put Rear-D’s sorry asses to work.
AS, have you guys already made this guy a member of IVAW? hahaha
CP, I think the main problem some people have is the idea that there can be ANY legitimacy in Anything the guy utters at this point, alot of us don’t hear ‘claims’, we hear ‘excuses’, and awfuly convenient ones considering the timing at that. His stated position on the war, and opinion of his continued service in the American armed forces in general, de-legitimizes any other sidebar garbage he wants to bring to the table. He’s exposed himself and his agenda already.
Use him in rear detachment? Not even one day. Hopefully we learned something from the Ft Hood shootings, why would you want to pursue a course of action that makes something like that possible again? Personally I wouldn’t waste time and money prosecuting him. Discharge him under other than honorable conditions and enact a bar to re-enlistment.
“How can you be pro Iraq and/or Afghanistan war then leave the fight?”
Easy, I retired and continue to support the fight in my own way while at the same time fulfilling a promise made to my kids in 2003. We all have multiple responsibilities in life, how we alocate our time and resources in the support of those responsibilities is something we each individually have to reconcile. I deployed with my unit willingly and eagerly in 2003, I stayed with my unit for 2 more years and would have deployed again as often as was asked of me within that time frame. I then retired in 2006 as I promised my then 6 yr old and 10 yr old I would. They had sacrificed enough to the fight already, and they never signed up for it.
This just torques me.
I’m an older fart and wanted to enlist but couldn’t because of a medical condition (didn’t try but read the medical standards for disqualifying conditions).
I’d give anything for the chance to serve, and yet these jackholes in uniform make a mockery of the whole thing.
There IS no justice in this world.
Army Sergeant:
When you actually do something constructive besides hang out with the IVAW crowd and maybe get deployed so you can do your job for a change, then we might give a crap about anything you say.
As for Abdo:
Wow. He goes through boot camp, advanced training, and has a combat arms MOS, but he’s ‘not ready to die’.
Ok, all together now: CHICKENSHIT.
His “conscience” didn’t prevent him from signing up during wartime, taking the oath of enlistment, or collecting that paycheck every month, but he doesn’t think he should actually do what he was trained for. The atrocities committed in the name of his “allah” don’t fit with our American principles, but that is a point that escapes the chickenshits in the anti-war crowd.
I left this message on his website:
Hey Nasser:
No one forced you to enlist. Apparently, you’re not smart enough to figure out that the U.S. sends the military where it’s needed, you don’t get to pick and choose assignments or conflicts, and the purpose of the Army is to fight and win the nation’s wars. I’ve always wondered why little morons like you volunteer for duty then piss about what they were sent to do.
Your fatuous claim that Islam is a “peaceful religion” is a real sidesplitter, especially when the Koran is chock full of anti-semitic, anti-Christian, misogynist, “kill the infidel” rhetoric, written by a 7th century zealot.
Muslims declared war on the West and kicked off the hostilities on 9/11.
You’re not just a religious hypocrite, you’re a loser. I hope the Army kicks your ass to the curb ASAP. You’re a disgrace to the uniform and have no business even being called “Soldier”.
The recruiting process has got to be adjusted to weed out assclowns like Abdo.
He’s apparently retained the services of the esteemed Mr. Branum, so his incarceration and BCD are imminent, no doubt:
HAHAHAHA Yeah, he’s pretty much fucked now.
Have fun in federal-pound-me-in-the-ass-prison, Naser. Make sure that soap you drop in the shower isn’t made from pig fat, either.
After her long, hateful, abusive spiel, GI Jane said, “The recruiting process has got to be adjusted to weed out assclowns like Abdo.”
Perhaps. But more importantly, it needs to be adjusted to weed out extremist wackos like yourself.
CJP,
“How can you be pro Iraq and/or Afghanistan war then leave the fight?” sounds like you are throwing the chickenhawk card.
I served 24 years in uniform, and reached a point were the best I could do was positively affect 310 soldiers. Now, I positively affect thousands, to include 10 deploying brigades a year. Does that lend me credence in my support for both efforts?
How about the folks I work with who never wore the uniform, but make the training work? I think they get to have an opinion.
There are many ways to serve, and in uniform is one.
I’m not angry, I’m just pointing it out.
And then there are some who are against the war, but quietly serve anyway and still give it their all.
@30: Word.