Military Hearing Officer Rejects Testimony of Monk About Islam

The Los Angeles Times reports that yesterday a preliminary hearing was held at Camp Pendleton, California to determine whether court martial proceedings should be instituted in the case of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, who is charged with failing to investigate the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq. In an unusual evidentiary ruling, Hearing Officer Col. Christopher Conlin refused to permit a Benedictine monk testify about the Islamic religion on the ground that it could cause an adverse reaction among Iraqis when they learned of the testimony.