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October 6, 2008
Beaten Soldier Alleges Religious Discrimination
JTA Wire Service
A Jewish soldier in basic training said he was beaten after complaining of religious discrimination. Pvt. Michael Handman, 20, of Atlanta made allegations against two drill sergeants at Fort Benning in Georgia: One made him take off his kipah while eating and would not allow him to pray during his guard duty shift, and another allegedly used a derogatory slur. The sergeants received letters of reprimand after a congressional inquiry, according to a report in the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer. Six days later, on Sept. 24, Handman was involved in a fight with another trainee soldier and suffered a concussion. The command staff of the 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry Regiment has determined the fight was not motivated by religions, nor was it connected to the inquiry and subsequent reprimand. Handman has been reassigned, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
U.S. Could Waive Israeli Visa Requirement
The United States could soon waive the need for an entry visa by Israelis. In a meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, Israel’s Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit discussed waiving the need for a visa for Israelis to visit the United States, Yediot Achronot reported Friday. The change in policy would begin to be formulated later this month. To qualify, Israel would have to switch from a paper to a biometric passport system. Some 313,000 Israelis have traveled this year to the United States. The process for obtaining an entry visa requires a fee, an interview at the embassy and a long wait.
Coalition to Defend Free Speech Launched
The American Jewish Congress organized a coalition to fight laws banning speech that defames religion. The Coalition to Defend Free Speech, launched Oct. 2 in Washington, initially will focus on a campaign by the Organization of the Islamic Conference—the association of all 57 Muslim states—to change international law to ban speech “defamatory of religion.” It will lobby the Bush administration and Congress to oppose the OIC campaign, as well as lobby other nations. First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, the honorary chair of the coalition, said the coalition had come together to resist “the intolerable effort of one group of nations to determine what may be thought and said throughout the world.” In addition to the AJCongress, other members of the coalition include Freedom House, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the International Quranic Center, American Values and the Rutherford Institute.
This story reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.