William Wan has today's must-read: a profile in the Washington Post of Army Spec. Zachari Klawonn, a 20-year-old Muslim American, serving his country in the military, but subject to intense harassment from fellow soldiers and superiors alike.
At boot camp, Klawonn didn't exactly hide his faith, but it wasn't something he advertised until that first Sunday, when his drill sergeant began calling out a long list of religious services: Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal . . .
"Oh, yeah," the sergeant said with a laugh as he reached the end. "And let me know if any of you need Islamic services."
When Klawonn raised his hand, the sergeant, in disbelief, called him out of formation and pressed him in detail in front of about 400 other trainees. The slurs started soon after.
…
By his count, he has reported more than 20 complaints with the Army's equal opportunity officers, a number that Fort Hood and Army officials said they could not immediately disprove or verify because the complaints occurred at different bases and units.
Of course, it would be a mistake to assume that all soldiers whose faith is Islam suffer such extreme difficulty. Indeed, Wan quotes 2 – soldiers provided by military officials – who claim to have experienced no harassment or discrimination. But it's surely more widespread than is acceptable, in a country devoted to protecting the liberty of all.
