1st ID soldier jailed, discharged for refusing to deploy to Iraq
By Gina Cavallaro and Jane McHugh
Times staff writers
A 1st Infantry Division soldier in Germany who refused to deploy to Iraq, citing his Muslim beliefs against fighting fellow Muslims, was sentenced to 14 months confinement and given a bad conduct discharge, according to a published report.
Sgt. 1st Class Abdullah Webster, 38 and with 18 years of Army service, pleaded guilty to two counts of disobeying a lawful order and one count of missing movement June 3 at a court-martial hearing, the military-owned newspaper Stars and Stripes reported June 7. He had applied to be a conscientious objector but was turned down at the unit level. His his appeal process is continuing, the newspaper said.
Webster told his commanders he would not deploy based on guidance he received from Muslim clerics, one of whom, Air Force Capt. Hamza Al-Mubarak, testified for the defense that Webster had done the right thing, Stars and Stripes said.
But it was pointed out at the court-martial by Webster’s former commander in a Kosovo peace keeping deployment, Lt. Col. Thomas Quigley, that Webster did not qualify as a conscientious objector because he was not opposed to all wars, just wars in Muslim countries, Quigley said.
“I sincerely believe he was a devoted Muslim, and because of his devout faith he chose to put that before his Army duty and values,” said Lt. Col. Courtney Paul, executive officer of the 1st Infantry Division’s Engineer Brigade, who was commander of the 82nd Engineer Battalion when Webster submitted his conscientious objector packet.
The division deployed to Iraq from its home base in Wuerzburg, Germany through the month of February
“We knew this was going to happen,” Paul told Army Times.
“He had made comments up to the last minute. But I wasn’t sure which way he would go until it came time for the call forward,” said Paul, at his brigade headquarters in Tikrit. Webster, he said, had made all the preparations to go and even loaded his duffel with all the other soldiers’ duffels just days before they left.
“He said he would rather spend seven years in jail than fight Muslims. He said it was wrong for Muslims.”
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f...25-2997479.php
By Gina Cavallaro and Jane McHugh
Times staff writers
A 1st Infantry Division soldier in Germany who refused to deploy to Iraq, citing his Muslim beliefs against fighting fellow Muslims, was sentenced to 14 months confinement and given a bad conduct discharge, according to a published report.
Sgt. 1st Class Abdullah Webster, 38 and with 18 years of Army service, pleaded guilty to two counts of disobeying a lawful order and one count of missing movement June 3 at a court-martial hearing, the military-owned newspaper Stars and Stripes reported June 7. He had applied to be a conscientious objector but was turned down at the unit level. His his appeal process is continuing, the newspaper said.
Webster told his commanders he would not deploy based on guidance he received from Muslim clerics, one of whom, Air Force Capt. Hamza Al-Mubarak, testified for the defense that Webster had done the right thing, Stars and Stripes said.
But it was pointed out at the court-martial by Webster’s former commander in a Kosovo peace keeping deployment, Lt. Col. Thomas Quigley, that Webster did not qualify as a conscientious objector because he was not opposed to all wars, just wars in Muslim countries, Quigley said.
“I sincerely believe he was a devoted Muslim, and because of his devout faith he chose to put that before his Army duty and values,” said Lt. Col. Courtney Paul, executive officer of the 1st Infantry Division’s Engineer Brigade, who was commander of the 82nd Engineer Battalion when Webster submitted his conscientious objector packet.
The division deployed to Iraq from its home base in Wuerzburg, Germany through the month of February
“We knew this was going to happen,” Paul told Army Times.
“He had made comments up to the last minute. But I wasn’t sure which way he would go until it came time for the call forward,” said Paul, at his brigade headquarters in Tikrit. Webster, he said, had made all the preparations to go and even loaded his duffel with all the other soldiers’ duffels just days before they left.
“He said he would rather spend seven years in jail than fight Muslims. He said it was wrong for Muslims.”
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f...25-2997479.php
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