Middle East Star
MiddleEastStar.com Friday 3rd September 2010 Issue 246/8
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"This historic moment comes at a time of great uncertainty for many Americans. We have now been through nearly a decade of war. We have endured a long and painful recession. And sometimes in the midst of these storms, the future that we are trying to build for our nation - a future of lasting peace and long-term prosperity - may seem beyond our reach"
Barack Obama
US President Obama was making a national address Tuesday to mark the end of the combat mission in Iraq

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Iran, Rial 0.000 0.000 0.117 - 0.000
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Palestinian Militants Protest Peace Talks
U.N. atom chief invited Israel to mull anti-nuclear arms pact

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Egypt protests Iranian comments on peace talks
Egypt cancels visit by Iran FM for comments on peace talks

bullet Israel corner
Ahmadinejad predicts failure of Mideast talks
Another attack on Israelis in West Bank: Report
Palestinian armed groups vow to attack Israeli targets

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Cordial relations shown at Mideast peace talksCordial relations shown at Mideast peace talks
Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu has said it is time to finalize a deal on the Middle East peace...

US-Muslim soldier wants to quit over mismatch between his God and war in Afghanistan
A Muslim soldier, Naser Abdo, from Texas who joined the U.S. Army last year, has said that he wants to leave the military, claiming he is a conscientious objector because Islam is a peaceful religion and his God does "not give legitimacy to the war" in Afghanistan, Iraq or...
Stones injure family-car-passenger in West BankStones injure family-car-passenger in West Bank
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Suspicious package at US airport leads to arrestSuspicious package at US airport leads to arrest
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Soldiers and criminals die in Mexican shootoutSoldiers and criminals die in Mexican shootout
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A Mississippi court has heard that the Ford Motor Co will pay $130 million over an accident that occurred in a Ford...
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bullet US-Muslim soldier wants to quit over mismatch between his God and war in Afghanistan corner

A Muslim soldier, Naser Abdo, from Texas who joined the U.S. Army last year, has said that he wants to leave the military, claiming he is a conscientious objector because Islam is a peaceful religion and his God does "not give legitimacy to the war" in Afghanistan, Iraq or elsewhere.

"I realized that God did not give legitimacy to the war in Afghanistan, Iraq or any war the U.S. Army would conceivably participate in," Fox News quoted Abdo, as saying.

Abdo, a 20-year-old infantryman assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, filed for conscientious objector status in June because his faith and the military do not match with each other.

He claimed that his devotion to Islam has suffered since he took an oath to defend the United States against all enemies.

"Islam is a peaceful religion, it's not a religion of warfare and it's not a religion of terror. As a Muslim, we stand against injustice, we stand against discrimination, and I feel it's my duty as an individual to do this," he added.

The Texas-born son of a Muslim father and a Christian mother, Abdo said his relatives and wife stand by his decision and added that he will likely refuse to deploy if his application for conscientious objector status is denied.

Meanwhile, Fort Campbell spokeswoman Kelly DeWitt said Abdo's deployment has been deferred, but according to Army regulations he may be deployed to Afghanistan at any time like other members of his unit.

"The Army recognizes that even in our all-volunteer force, a soldier's moral, ethical or religious beliefs may change over time. The Army and Fort Campbell has procedures in place for soldiers who declare themselves to be conscientious objectors and who apply for conscientious objector status," an Army statement read.(ANI)


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    bullet News Survey corner
    With the departure of US combat troops from Iraq, is the Iraq war now over?


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