Military Instructor Suspended for Teaching Soldiers to Wage War on Islam
An instructor at a military college who taught top officers that Islam was the Unites States' enemy and made no distinction between extremists and regular Muslims has been suspended.
"The inquiry recommends the course be redesigned to include aspects of U.S. policy and reduce its reliance on external instruction," said Colonel David Lapan, a spokesman for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement, Reuters reported. "The elective course's military instructor has been relieved of his instructor duties until his permanent change of station, which was previously planned for 2012."
Army Lt. Col. Matthew A Dooley had been teaching the elective course, titled "Perspectives on Islam and Islamic Radicalism," for over a year at the National Defense University's Joint Forces Staff College in Virginia.
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The Pentagon revealed in May that it had suspended the controversial course, because it went against American values and had caused a number of students to speak out and notify the college of the material being taught.
"It was just totally objectionable, against our values, and it wasn't academically sound. This wasn't about, you know, we're pushing back on liberal thought. This was just objectionable, academically irresponsible," said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey
Although the course was suspended last month, Dooley remained officially employed at the military college.
"They hate everything you stand for and will never coexist with you, unless you submit," Dooley was quoted as saying during a class presentation last July, according to The Associated Press.
"This would leave open the option once again of taking war to a civilian population wherever necessary (the historical precedents of Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki being applicable...)," the teacher reportedly had said, and suggested that "Saudi Arabia be threatened with starvation ... Islam reduced to cult status, and the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia be destroyed."
Further explaining the decision to suspend both Dooley and the course, Col. Lapan highlighted that the course "failed to include U.S. government policy on countering extremism and 'the material on Islam' ... was presented almost all in a negative light."
"It was not focusing on certain radical elements of Islam that do provide a threat but instead painting all of Islam in a negative light," the Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman said.
