COMMENTARY | It doesn't happen often, but once is enough. Muslim citizens enlisted in military service turn against the military and wage jihad against their fellow soldiers. How does the military screen such people out without opening itself up to charges of religious or personal discrimination?
It's been a persistent worry for the armed forces after Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan killed 13 and injured 30 others Nov. 5, 2009.
Another potential military base attacker was taken into custody Wednesday in Killeen, Texas.
AWOL Pfc. Nasser Jason Abdo was arrested and held on charges of possessing child pornography as authorities investigated an alleged conspiracy to attack military personnel with guns, ammunition, and explosives, according to NPR. Abdo has been AWOL since July 4 after the Army rejected his request for conscientious objector status.
The denial of conscientious objector status was later overturned by an Army review board.
Abdo was arrested Wednesday after authorities were tipped off to suspicious activity by gun store merchants at Guns Galore, the same store where Hasan bought the weapons he used to kill troops at Fort Hood.
Police found ammunition, gunpowder, bomb-making equipment, and jihadist materials in the hotel room where Abdo was hiding.
Abdo's curious statement while applying for conscientious objector status begs the question as to what a person like the private expected from military service.
"I knew that if I went to Afghanistan and, God forbid, something were to happen, that my faith was so weak that I wouldn't be admitted into heaven," according to a Fox News report.
If the alleged terror plot proves true, Abdo would seem to believe that attacking and perhaps killing American soldiers in the interests of Islamic Jihad was an indication of "strong faith" and guarantee him admission "into heaven."
Turncoat soldiers are not bastions of logic and morality, and those who serve the country must be protected from internal dangers of the type posed by the Hasans of the world.
While the thought of joining the military and then disavowing the military mission might anger some people, the Army has taken the view that it is better for conscientious objectors to be weeded out so as not to weaken overall unit solidarity and morale.
For this reason, most soldiers are made aware of the process and circumstances by which they can become conscientious objectors.
Some military members and critics say that the armed forces have leaned too far forward in the interest of political correctness. They protest that, when concerns over religious, social, and personal sensitivities take precedence over force protection, the U.S. military could cease to be the effective fighting force that it is.
The Army was severely criticized for failing to recognize the many signs that the Fort Hood killer posed a threat to fellow soldiers.
Ironically, Hasan was an Army psychiatrist entrusted with the responsibility of counseling returning war veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
It would be easy if the modern military could adopt a one-size-fits-all screening policy which eliminates many of the additional hazards posed by potentially dangerous and unstable enlistment volunteers, but that is not realistic. Nor would such a policy recognize the heroism of Muslim patriots like Specialist Kareem Khan, who had already earned a Purple Heart in Iraq and ultimately gave his life in service to his country.
Clearly, what America needs right now is more Muslims like Kareem Khan and less of the Nasser Abdo type.
Anthony Ventre is a freelance writer who has written for weekly and daily newspapers and several online publications. He is a frequent Yahoo contributor, concentrating in news and financial writing.
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