Soldier Sues Army Claiming Religious Discrimination

A press release distributed by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation yesterday announced a religious discrimination lawsuit that has been filed against the Department of Defense and an Army Major:

(MRFF) and U.S. Army Specialist Jeremy Hall have filed a lawsuit against Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Major Paul Welborne in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas citing a pattern of military practices that discriminate against non-Christians in the military. The lawsuit also cites overt government support of private civilian religious organizations and activities.

... In August of this year, Specialist Hall, after receiving permission from a chaplain at Contingency Operations Base Speicher, Iraq, posted flyers around his base announcing a meeting of atheists and other non-Christians.... Army Major Paul Welborne disrupted the meeting and threatened to retaliate against Hall by charging him with violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice and vowed to block Hall's reenlistment in the Army because of Hall’s role in organizing the meeting, a violation of Hall's First Amendment rights under the Constitution.

The complaint charges that Hall, who is based at Ft. Riley, Kansas, has been forced to "submit to a religious test as a qualification to his post as a soldier in the United States Army," a violation of Article VI, Clause 3 of the Constitution.

The International Herald Tribune has also published a report on the lawsuit.