Muslim soldier Naser Abdo (website) volunteered for the military. He took the oath. He said these words:
I, Naser Abdo, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
Now he want to claim conscientious objector status because being in the military interferes with his faith.
"I was more faithful to God before I joined the military and that's what kind of stirred me," he said. Military duties have really consumed every part of my day and did not allow me time to involve myself with the Islamic community to maintain what duties I felt that I owed God. This is really what made me come to the conclusion that I'm not ready to die....
Who really joins the military in war without the understanding that it is demanding, hard work, and can cost you your life? How many people wish for any way out of the situation? I know I did, and I was not even in the service during a war.
The Army should not grant Abdo’s request. He’s given his word. He’s sworn an oath before God. If his religion really means as much to him as he claims, then his oath should carry enough weight that he finishes his tour of duty.
Don’t send him to war. Make him work instead. His desire to break an oath should be enough to see that he is untrustworthy. If a man cannot keep his word, then give him work in service to others. Have him clean pots, mow lawns, and clean the latrines. Make him work the hours that his unit works. Keep him in the Army until his term is up. That, or have him sit out the war in a prison cell.
I’m not a huge fan of using ones faith to make a political point. What he’s really saying here is obviously political and pure rhetoric.
"Islam is a peaceful religion, it's not a religion of warfare," Abdo said. "And it's not a religion of terror. As a Muslim, we stand against injustice, we stand against discrimination, and I feel it's my duty as an individual to do this."
He is taking a political position in support of a religion. Don’t give him the stage.
