A request has been made of the Senate and House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees to investigate the decision not to renew the contract of Stephen Coughlin, a Pentagon specialist on Islamic law and Islamist extremism, who was to common knowledge, the only Islamic Law scholar on the military Joint Staff.
Basics Project, is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) research and educational initiative whose mission is to re-introduce the American public to the basic elements of our constitutional heritage while providing non-partisan, fact-based information on relevant socio-political issues important to our country, specifically the threats of aggressive Islamofascism and the American Fifth Column.
The staff, board of directors and trustees of Basics Project established a consensus of concern regarding the circumstances surrounding the effective termination of Mr. Coughlin when it was made public that a key aide to Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, Mr. Hasham Islam, referred to Mr. Coughlin as a Christian zealot "with a pen," after Mr. Coughlin's refusal - at Mr. Islam's request - to "soften" his view toward Islamist extremism.
Basics Project has raised the following questions regarding Mr. Coughlin's dismissal to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence:
1) To what degree did an ideological bias cause the removal of the only specialist on Islamic law and Islamist extremism on the Joint Staff?
2) If the Joint Staff and the Pentagon’s general staff are tasked with formulating strategies that are biased toward successful military engagements and the continued security of our country, why would there be a need to “soften” anyone’s views on Islamist extremism as Hasham Islam, aide to Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, offered in critique of Mr. Coughlin’s performance?
3) Why is the federal government – in all capacities – delinquent on initiating a non-partisan, pro-Western and Pro-US ideological campaign designed to counter the indoctrination practices of those who practice radical Islam, specifically Wahhabism, here in the United States?
Basics Project has requested that these committees initiate a comprehensive investigation into each of the above cited concerns, making the results available to the American public through publication in a timely manner. Requests were issued January 7, 2008.
Contact:
Frank Salvato
Executive Director/Director of Terrorism Studies
Basics Project
PO Box 583, Downers Grove, IL 60515
(202) 536-2836
info@basicsproject.org
[url=http://www.basicsproject.org]http://www.basicsproject.org[/url]
About Basics Project: Basics Project is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(C)(3) research and educational initiative whose mission is to re-introduce the American public to the basic elements of our constitutional heritage while providing non-partisan, fact-based information on relevant socio-political and socio-economic issues important to our country.
Frank Salvato also serves as the managing editor for The New Media Journal. His writing has been recognized by the US House International Relations Committee and the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention.
