Memo that prompted Pentagon to purge ‘Offensive to Islam’ material released

From Will at The Other News:

(Examiner) (ThomasMooreLawCenter).By: Christopher Collins.The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced late last week that it is representing U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Dooley, a 1994 Graduate of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point and released the letter sent by 57 Muslim groups demanding the removal of military instructions that they say is offensive to Islam.

In April 2012, LTC Dooley, a highly decorated combat veteran, was publically condemned by General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and relieved of his teaching assignment because of the negative way Islam was portrayed in an elective course entitled, “Perspectives on Islam and Islamic Radicalism” the release said.

The actions against LTC Dooley, an instructor involved with this elective, follow a letter to the Department of Defense dated October 19, 2011 and finally released and was signed by 57 Muslim organizations, demanding that all training materials that they judge to be offensive to Islam be “purged” and instructors “are effectively disciplined.”

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center commented, “We are privileged to represent Lieutenant Colonel Dooley. He has honorably served his Nation for 18 years and effectively carried out every assigned mission with distinction. He served as Aide- de- Camp to three different General Officers and deployed to Bosnia, Kuwait, and Iraq for a total of six operational and combat tours. During that time, he received numerous awards and decorations. Now after a lifetime of service to his country, he is being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness and expediency by the Army he so loyally served and loves.”

Thompson also stated, “In order to appease Muslims and the White House, General
Dempsey and the Department of Defense rushed to punish LTC Dooley. In the process, they
violated not only our Nation’s core principles of free speech and academic freedom guaranteed 

by our Constitution, but also, a number of the military’s own regulations dealing with academic 

freedom and non-attribution policies of the National Defense University (NDU) to which LTC Dooley was assigned. They violated the right to due process of law and even by-passed the University’s Provost, who under NDU’s own rules has primary responsibility for adjudication of this matter.Dempsey and the Department of Defense rushed to punish LTC Dooley. In the process, they violated not only our Nation’s core principles of free speech and academic freedom guaranteed by our Constitution, but also, a number of the military’s own regulations dealing with academic freedom and non-attribution policies of the National Defense University (NDU) to which LTC Dooley was assigned. They violated the right to due process of law and even by-passed the University’s Provost, who under NDU’s own rules has primary responsibility for adjudication of this matter.”

In further statements regarding LTC Dooley, Thompson said, “This is a threat to our National Security. In effect, our own government is applying Islamic Sharia law to prevent any criticism of Islam. The chill on instruction is already happening at the Joint Forces Command College of the National Defense University, to which LTC Dooley is assigned.”

“Betrayed by his military chain of command, all of whom refused to stand behind their
own Academic Freedom and Non-Attribution regulations, LTC Dooley stands alone in his
association with what had been previously acceptable methods of educational inquiry. As a
result, LTC Dooley, an 18-year Army Officer and combat veteran, has been stripped of his
teaching position and is now the subject of a negative evaluation report that threatens to damage
his otherwise sterling career.”

Read the full story here.  

Letter to John Brennan 19 OCT 2011 PDF.