Should A U.S. Soldier Be Given A Conscientious Objector Status Because Of His Religion?

Pfc. Naser Abdo, 20, filed for conscientious objector status in June, claiming his faith and the military simply don't mix. The Texas native says he's endured harassment and discrimination due to his religious beliefs since joining the military last year. FreeNasserAbdo.org

Islamic Group Asks Army to Deny 'Traitor' GI's Request For Conscientious Objector Status -- FOX News

An American Muslim organization is asking the U.S. Army to deny a Muslim soldier’s request for conscientious objector status, accusing him of treason and urging the military to punish him to the full extent of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Pfc. Naser Abdo, a 20-year-old infantryman who joined the Army one year ago, filed for conscientious objector status in June, saying his faith and the military don't mix. "As a Muslim, we stand against injustice, we stand against discrimination, and I feel it's my duty as an individual to do this," Abdo told FoxNews.com.

The Army has deferred his scheduled deployment to Afghanistan.

But the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) says Abdo's claim is “patently false.”

Read more ....

My Comment: Kudos to the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) in voicing its opposition to giving Pfc. Naser Abdo a conscientious objector status. Now .... will the other Islamic groups say the same thing .... hmmmm .... I am very skeptical.

Conscientious Objectors Are Alive And Well In The U.S. Military

J. E. McNeil, the executive director of the Center on Conscience & War, in her Washington office. Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

Pleas By Conscientious Objectors Evolve -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Answering the G.I. Rights Hotline for the last 11 years, J. E. McNeil has counseled thousands of soldiers who want to become conscientious objectors and get out of the service.

But when the House of Representatives voted May 27 to allow the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, paving the way for gay men and lesbians in the military to be open about their sexual orientation, Ms. McNeil got a hot-line call that raised a new issue: the caller said he considered homosexuality an abomination and wanted to be a conscientious objector because he could not serve in the military alongside gay soldiers.

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My Comment: I am not surprised by the following response ....

In the “don’t ask, don’t tell” cases, Ms. McNeil concluded that there was no legal basis for a conscientious objector claim.

No legal basis .... I am very skeptical. This is simply too close to home for this activist to support the opposite point of view.