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Gen. Boykin linked to Iraqi prison scandal AMP Report American Muslim organizations have expressed concern over connection of Lt. Gen. William Boykin, under investigation for anti-Islamic remarks, to the Iraqi prison scandal and called for his removal from sensitive position. A Senate hearing into the abuse of Iraqi prisoners was told on May 11 that General Boykin, an evangelical Christian under investigation for saying his God was superior to that of the Muslims, briefed a top Pentagon civilian official last summer on recommendations on ways military interrogators could gain more intelligence from Iraqi prisoners. The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, communications director Hussein Ibish said his group and others had repeatedly called for Boykin to be reassigned to a less sensitive job until the Pentagon inspector general completes his investigation of Boykin's remarks. "I'm not saying Boykin is directly responsible. ... But there is a collective failure here," Ibish said. "There is a tolerance in our society, in our government, in our media for hateful rhetoric when directed against Arabs and Muslims. It definitely contributes to a climate in which these young MPs apparently felt it was ... OK to abuse Muslim and Arab men like this." The American Muslim Voice (AMV), Executive Director Samina Faheem Sundas said that as details are emerging about the Abu Gharib Prisoners scandal, it appears that the torture and humiliation of prisoners was not an isolated incident by low level officials. “What happened at Abu Ghraib (prison) is evidence of a broader culture of dehumanizing Arabs and Muslims as indicated by the briefing General Boykin on ways military interrogators could gain intelligence from the Iraqi prisoners.” The Council on American Islamic Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper, chided the Pentagon for not acting promptly to discipline General Boykin and the delayed engagement of top military leaders on the prisoner abuse scandal. "It creates a climate in which ... the perpetrators believe they're carrying out the policies of those above them, whether those policies are explicit or not," Hooper said. The CAIR is urging members of the American Muslim community and other people of conscience to contact their elected representatives and ask that they co-sponsor H. Res. 419, the Boykin resolution, which condemns religiously intolerant remarks and calls on the President to clearly censure and reassign Lieutenant General Boykin for his religiously intolerant remarks against Muslims. The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), in a statement said that in a press conference conducted on May 7, 2004 in Washington, DC, the MPAC and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) announced that the Iraqi prisoners abuse scandal is not an isolated incident but a magnification of a culture of hatred within the US military in particular and US government in general. “A small but influential group of officials and interest groups are directing our policies in a reckless fashion demonizing Islam and dehumanizing Muslims.” ”In the press conference, we reported that Lt. William General Boykin, deputy to Stephen A. Cambone, under secretary for defense intelligence in the Pentagon, has been linked to directing orders to soldiers who torture and sexually humiliated Iraqi prisoners. We demand that Lt. General Boykin be dismissed as well as any other official in the Pentagon that promotes anti-Islamic sentiments. Otherwise, the white-washing of nefarious behavior rooted in some of our American leadership against Muslims will be viewed as a validation of anti-Islamic sentiment sponsored by the US government. And we can then expect that promoters of the clash of civilizations will exploit this situation to increase terrorism directed at Americans both in foreign countries and on American soil.” The MPAC urged the Muslim Americans and fellow Americans to call their congressman and demand that this issue be discussed thoroughly in the congressional hearing on the abuse of Iraqi civilians, and that General Boykin be fired for the sanctioning of torture and rape. May 12, 2004 |