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Religious Freedom
Religion in the Military
Summary of Policy and Recommendations
- ADL is concerned that religious harassment and unwelcome proselytizing are an ongoing problem in the military and the nation’s service academies.
- ADL calls for Congressional oversight and hearings that could lead to the adoption of consistent guidelines to address reports of religious intolerance and proselytizing.
Background
ADL is concerned that religious harassment and unwelcome proselytizing are an ongoing problem in the military and the nation’s service academies. Charges of religious harassment and unwelcome proselytizing are especially disturbing in the context of the command structure within the military and our nation's service academies. Instructors, officers and upper class cadets have virtually absolute command authority over their students and subordinates, creating a unique potential for undue pressure on an individual to conform in order not to jeopardize his or her military career.
ADL calls for Congressional oversight and hearings leading towards the adoption of consistent guidelines to address reports of religious intolerance and proselytizing in the armed forces and at government institutions such as West Point and the Naval Academy.
ADL has long urged Congressional oversight of reforms proposed in the 2005 report of the Headquarters Review Group, which concluded that religious intolerance was a persistent problem at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In January 2007, the League called for Congressional hearings after the Department of Defense authorization bill directed the secretaries of the Air Force and Navy to rescind their existing guidelines on religious activity.
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