Lawsuit Alleges Military of Unconstitutional Religious Activities
A watchdog group said it recently uncovered evidence that bolsters its federal lawsuit alleging violations of religious freedom in the military.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation claimed the photos and videos of religious activities support accusations made in a suit against the military for pressuring soldiers to adopt fundamentalist Christian beliefs.
The material was gathered from Fort Riley in Kansas, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Fort Jackson, S.C.
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Evidence cited at Fort Riley included a display outside the military's police battalion's office with a quote from conservative columnist Ann Coulter saying, "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."
Another photo from Fort Riley shows the book A Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam for sale at the post exchange.
At Fort Jackson, a bible study program entitled "God's Basic Training" is reportedly held by Campus Crusade for Christ's military ministry. Among the new evidence disclosed, another photo shows soldiers involved in the ministry posing with a rifle in one hand and a Bible in the other. Troops dressed in uniform also appear in a promotional video for the ministry.
"These astonishing and saddening evidence which our foundation is making public today only further buttress our lawsuit," said Mike Weinstein, president of the foundation, according to The Associated Press.
A spokeswoman for Campus Crusade for Christ said the ministry officials haven't reviewed the evidence and declined to comment.
Weinstein helped Army Specialist Jeremy Hall, an atheist, file the lawsuit in September in U.S. District Court in Kansas City against several members of the Defense Department for violating Hall's religious freedom.
One defendant, Major Freddy Welborn, was accused of threatening Hall, who is now stationed in Fort Riley, with military charges and blocking his re-enlistment after the plaintiff held a meeting of atheists and non-Christians in Iraq.
The lawsuit also names Defense Secretary Robert Gates as a defendant, charging him with permitting a culture in the military that imposes Christian teachings upon soldiers and tolerates anti-Semitism.
Officials at the bases cited in the evidence have denied any intent to force a religious belief on troops.
A spokesman for Fort Riley said they would be reviewing the allegations.
"Command at Fort Riley takes the Army value of respect very seriously," Major Nathan Bond told Military.com. "The things you have mentioned to me, if they are true, do not seem in line with the Army values of respect, and we will look into it."
A survey last year by the Military Times newspaper reported that 80 percent of troops felt free to practice and express their religion in the military.
This is the first case Weinstein has filed against the military. In 2005, he filed a suit on behalf of his son alleging the Air Force Academy, where his son was a cadet, pressured non-Christian students to attend Christian meetings. A Pentagon investigation found no overt discrimination at the academy and the suit was dismissed.
