Posted on 06/17/2005 3:23:06 PM PDT by SamFromLivingston
Recruit's contest using Quran hinders Army's effort, officer says. Friday, June 17, 2005 By Pam Greene Staff writer
Jon Alvarez is two months away from reporting to military boot camp training, but he has already been flagged by his superiors as a potential troublemaker.
Alvarez, a staunch Republican from Baldwinsville who enlisted in the Army Reserve in April, has gained notoriety for political antics that include hanging a statue depicting the likeness of filmmaker Michael Moore from a noose and accusing those who speak against the military of treason.
Maj. Jeff Wildeboer, operating officer with the Army Reserve 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion in Mattydale, said Thursday he plans to alert commanding officers to Alvarez's latest campaign: a contest called "Create A Pig With The Koran."
On his Web site, www.pabaah.com, Alvarez invites people to create a papier-mache pig using pages of the Quran. Links show how to get a free copy of the Quran and how to make papier-mache.
Alvarez said the contest will illustrate the hypocrisy of Muslim extremists who burn the American flag, "because of the supposed desecration of the Quran," Alvarez said.
"They haven't apologized for burning our flag, yet they expect people to apologize for supposedly desecrating the Quran," he said.
Wildeboer said the contest only serves to be hurtful and stereotype Muslims. The purpose of the battalion is to go overseas and build bridges with Muslims through an understanding of the religion, culture and language, he said. Alvarez's antic is "180 degrees" from the mission of the battalion, he said.
Wildeboer said it is too early to know if Alvarez's stunt will prevent him from being allowed into the reserves. Alvarez hasn't reported for duty yet and no one from the battalion had heard of the contest until Thursday, he said. Wildeboer said he will make sure the commanding officers are informed and the matter will be discussed with Alvarez when he reports for duty in August, he said. Officers will decide what to do about it then, Wildeboer said.
"We don't do stupid things to mock or punish a theology," Wildeboer said. "It shows poor taste."
The local Islamic community has tried unsuccessfully to reach out to Alvarez, said Mohamed Khater, president of the Islamic Society of Central New York.
"There isn't even a point in discussing it with him," Khater said.
(yawn)
Well said. A civil affairs battalion is supposed to make contact with, and help out, the locals who are willing to help us. It makes things easier for our guys.
The last thing they need is somebody who can't contain his contempt for Muslims. I am not saying his contempt isn't justified to some degree...just that a civil affairs battalion probably isn't the best place for him. Put him in a tank.
Just like they reached out to Berg, Johnson and Armstrong I bet
No kidding. The attitude of some on here is that we should have put the War in the Pacific under the command of whichever cartoonist could draw the best bucktoothed "haw! haw! Me a Nip!" cartoon. It's unprofessional and pointless.
Excellent Mr Alvarez.
It's unprofessional
I presume that you "know" that Muslims consider the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Koran to be divinely revealed scriptures. In 1999, the London-based Islamic fundamentalist group Al-Muhajiroun issued a fatwa on the life of playwright Terrence McNally, who had written a play called Corpus Christi depicting Christ as a homosexual crucified as "King of the Queers". This was deemed an unacceptable defamation of the prophet Jesus.
Ignorance is bliss, eh?
USA needs to examine the Quran for the truth, and declare it like it is. Muhammed was a blasphemer of Jesus Christ, for he claimed to be greater than Jesus. The Quran says that Jesus never did die on the cross, and that he was just taken ot heaven, because of God's mercy. The Quran teaches that Jesus will return, and that he will follow Muhammed, live for only 40 years and then die. The USA has not stood up for what we know to be true, and we are going to pay the price. The USA has not behaved honorably, we have let Satan shove his book in our face, and we have accepted it as being "holy". Shame on us all, lacking a courage to stand, all in the name of "religious freedom".
It's art. I would think the NY crowd would love it.
Suggestion to you and all other dhimmis-in-training: Peddle it somewhere else, bud.
I'm not buying.
You're imam's calling, seems you're late for evening prayers.
They want to reach his neck. So that they can cut his head off, and put the event on video. it would then be shown in NYC art museums as "performance art".
Hear Hear!
Blowing it the hell up is the way to victory!
That's certainly one way.
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