(NJ) Muslim (corrections) officer says faith got him fired

[brentspeak]

This is a front-page story on some of the local New Jersey papers. Of course, I can't say who's telling the truth or not; but I couldn't help but think of John Chestnut Whittaker, the black cadet who was criminally drummed out of West Point in 1880 on the absurd grounds that he beat himself up, tied himself to his bed, slashed his own face, and left himself for dead. I don't know if this will turn out to be similar, but I have a bad feeling about it...
................................................................................................

Saturday, February 3, 2007

By SAMANTHA HENRY
HERALD NEWS

PATERSON -- The Passaic County Sheriff's Department and one of its former officers are disputing whether he was fired because he had complained of anti-Muslim harassment or because of his allegedly uncooperative behavior with investigators...

Kozrosh, 23, a New Jersey-born Muslim of Circassian heritage, said he endured more than a year of slurs against his religion and being passed over for promotion. It all culminated, he said, with Passaic County Jail staff posting doctored photographs of him in offices around the facility. One showed his face superimposed over an image of Osama bin Laden. Another pasted his head on the body of a camel wearing a turban....

Maer claimed Kozrosh was a willing participant, and even engaged in the kind of photo-doctoring pranks that produced the fliers that Kozrosh cited in his complaint...

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MDY5OTg1JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg==

[darkstar7646]

1. I'd really be interested...

To see how they are going to deal with a lot of the prisoners who either are already Islam or convert on the inside. Trust me, that is no small number...

[Maat]

2. I agree with the points made here.

(1) How stupid do they think people are? No one is going to believe that this young kid participated in the mocking and mistreatment. It is highly unlikely.

(2) This kind of conduct would be highly unwise in that setting for so many reasons, not to mention disgusting and unconscionable.

This is just SO sad. I hope that he is fairly compensated for the loss of his employment in a court of law.

[Porcupine]

3. Kick against the Christian Fascism of the prison state.

The outrages of the Christians are most obvious when it comes to prison policy in the US. People who are willing to cry Christian get all sorts of favorable treatment while people of any other faith are mushroomed or penalized.