Since its inception in 2005, MRFF and its President and Founder, Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein, have worked tirelessly to protect the rights of our clients by fostering a national discussion, influencing military policies, and pursuing legal remedies through our court system. Your support has made this vital work possible.
August 2007 – MRFF first to uncover evangelical extremist group’s unconstitutional distribution of sectarian and bigoted “Left Behind” videogame to active-duty troops serving in Iraq. The game featured a post-apocalyptic storyline where “Soldiers for Christ” must convert “Secularists”, Jews, Muslims, and others. The group, Operation Start Up, openly advocated the United States military unleashing “multiple crusades” to “sweep through” the Arab and Muslim world.
August 2007 – MRFF-instigated DoD Inspector General’s report finds misconduct by uniformed Pentagon Generals participating in “Christian Embassy” promo video filmed inside the Pentagon.
October 2008 - The California Council of Churches IMPACT (CCCI), one of the country’s largest Christian organizations, representing 21 mainstream and progressive Protestant denominations, 5,500 congregations, and millions of congregants formally announced its endorsement of MRFF.
October 2009 - The Military Religious Freedom Foundation was officially nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. The nominator, who wishes to remain anonymous, happens to be the only Christian in the upper chamber of his country’s national parliament; the country is an ally of the United States. Shortly thereafter, another anonymous Qualified Nominator submitted a second official nomination for MRFF for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.
January 2010 – After MRFF and Mikey Weinstein exposed the biblical references engraved on Trijicon brand rifle scopes used by the United States military in Iraq and Afghanistan on ABC’s flagship news program Nightline, the story exploded across international news outlets. Shortly after the “Jesus Rifles” story broke, the manufacturer gave in to media pressure and ceased using the inscriptions, subsequently distributing kits throughout the military for the purpose of removing these biblical references from weaponry currently deployed worldwide.
April 2010 – MRFF successfully demanded the cancellation of Islamophobic Evangelical Preacher Franklin Graham’s scheduled participation in the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer event, thereby severing the affiliation between the Pentagon event and Shirley Dobson(wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson)’s exclusively Christian National Day of Prayer Task Force and making this event inclusive of all religions. Also in April, the book Attitudes Aren’t Free: Thinking Deeply about Diversity in the US Armed Forces, published by Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, was widely distributed throughout the command structure of the United States military. The book includes a chapter written by MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda, which provides a comprehensive overview and numerous specific examples of the various issues that MRFF is currently dealing with and has dealt with in the past.
June 2010 – Colorado Interfaith Alliance officially endorsed MRFF’s challenge of the Evans Army Community Hospital emblem’s depiction of a Crusader cross.
August 2010 – MRFF broke the story of soldiers punished for refusing to attend a Christian concert at Ft. Eustis. MRFF’s spotlight on the issue of military-endorsed Christian concerts led to significant criticism of the Billy Graham Association’s “Rock the Fort” Christian concert at Ft. Bragg the following month.
September 2010 – MRFF and Mikey were included as major subjects in New York Times bestselling author Jeff Sharlet’s newest groundbreaking book, C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy (published by Little, Brown and Company), in which they are referred to as the “constitutional conscience of the military.”
October 2010 – MRFF was officially nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, making this the second consecutive year MRFF has been honored with such recognition. Mikey Weinstein received the 2010 Anne Froehlich Political Courage Award from the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club for his work with the foundation.
November 2010 – After MRFF’s relentless pressure on the US Air Force Academy, Superintendent Lt. Gen. Gould released the data behind the bi-annual Academy Climate Survey. The survey revealed that 41% of non-Christian cadets and 19% of all cadets were subjected to unwanted proselytizing. Additionally, religious liberty watchdog Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced that Mikey Weinstein will be named “Person of the Year” at a November 2011 ceremony in Washington, D.C. “We’ve never named a ‘Person of the Year’ before, but I can’t think of anyone more deserving than Mikey Weinstein,” stated Americans United executive director Rev. Barry W. Lynn.
Throughout 2010, Mikey Weinstein has spoken to students at a number of the U.S. military’s educational institutions: the U.S. Air Force Academy’s National Character and Leadership Symposium, the Air Force JAG School, and the Air Command and Staff College. This direct contact with the future leaders of America’s military is vitally important to MRFF’s continuing mission of fostering a climate of absolute religious freedom and acceptance throughout our armed forces.
January 2011 – MRFF demanded that the US Army cease and desist their blatantly unconstitutional policy of administering a “spiritual fitness” component to the mandatory “Soldier Fitness Tracker”, whereby soldiers’ combat-readiness and ability are judged on the basis of their religiosity.
March 2011 - MRFF opposes superiors demanding participation in religious events:
U.S. Army releases investigation on March 8, 2011 pursuant to MRFF demands after soldiers disciplined for choosing not to attend an evangelical Christian Commanding Generals’ Spiritual Fitness Concert at Ft. Eustis. MRFF continues to disagree with the investigation’s attempt to place the blame on a lower-ranking soldier.
March 2011 - MRFF Invited to Provide Testimony to the U.S. Senate:
On March 29, 2011, MRFF provided extensive written testimony to a U.S. Senate hearing on “Protecting the Civil Rights of American Muslims.” The hearing was held before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, and was the first-ever Congressional hearing on the civil rights of American Muslims.
April 2011 - Representing MRFF in a panel debate alongside military chaplains, Mikey Weinstein spoke to the US Army War College Strategy Conference on faith in the US military and in American civilian life, stressing the need to steadfastly protect soldiers’ legal rights to freedom from proselytizing harassment and to safeguard the military’s national security mission from those seeking to divert it towards theocratic, crusader ends.
June 2011 – MRFF’s vigorous efforts result in two immigrant MRFF clients of the Muslim faith, eager to serve their adopted homeland as translators abroad, being featured in a heart-rending, emotional story featured by both the New York Times and ABC News Nightline. The exposé detailed the hideous, ongoing ordeal which they have undergone since being subject to the unfounded accusations of conspiracy to poison their fellow soldiers.
July 2011 -
Based on the fallout from a MRFF client’s FOIA request exposing the use of Christian ‘Just War’ theology, the Nuclear Ethics and Nuclear Warfare training program “has been taken out of the curriculum and is being reviewed,” according to David Smith, chief of public affairs of Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. Subsequent to this action, on August 14, 2011, the Air Force Times reported that the Air Force was reviewing all training materials related to ethics, core values and character development after more Christian-themed course work surfaced.
August 2011 - Fort Bragg Limits then Restores Promised Support for “Rock Beyond Belief ” Concert/Festival. Due in part to continued pressure by MRFF, a spokesman for Fort Bragg announced in early August 2011 that, “Our logistical support will be the same as what we did for Rock the Fort,” meaning Bragg will provide the venue, security, and basic utilities. The event is presently scheduled to take place on March 31, 2012, on the main parade field at Fort Bragg (also the venue for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s fundamentalist Christian “Rock the Fort” concert, which was officially endorsed and promoted by Fort Bragg).
August 2011 - MRFF investigates Department of Defense contracts regarding religious promotions to military members and their families:
In 2010, MRFF began an investigation into just how much money the DoD spends promoting religion to military personnel and their families. The initial report by Chris Rodda, MRFF Senior Research Director, was released on August 19, 2011, and was prominently featured on the front page of The Huffington Post.
September 2011 - MRFF again compels concrete corrective action by the U.S. Department of Defense and by the U.S. Air Force Academy:
On September 1, 2011, General Norton Schwartz, United States Air Force Chief of Staff issued a memorandum on ‘Maintaining Government Neutrality Regarding Religion.’ Distribution of this edict by Academy leadership to faculty, staff, and cadets occurred only after MRFF’s placement of a billboard containing the full text of the memorandum at a busy intersection in Colorado Springs, the home of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
November 2011 - MRFF’s demands for compliance with General Schwartz’s edict of September 1, 2011 led to the U.S. Air Force Academy’s command quickly moving sponsorship and oversight of Franklin Graham’s Operation Christmas Child program at the Academy under the guidance of the Chaplain Corps, where all religious programs belong.
November 2011 - Americans United for Separation of Church and State awarded Mikey Weinstein its inaugural Person of the Year award in Washington, DC on November 7, 2011. MRFF also received a nomination for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, making this the third consecutive year and fourth occasion where MRFF has been honored with such recognition.
November 2011 – MRFF blasts Rep. Womick’s numerous incendiary calls for the removal of Muslim-Americans from the ranks of the U.S. Military, strongly denouncing the fear mongering, political pandering and clearly unconstitutional military purge recommendations by the State Representative from Murfreesboro, TN. This MRFF statement was re-published by Sheila Musaji, Founding Editor of The American Muslim.
December 2011 – MRFF provided written testimony on December 7, 2011 to a Joint Hearing on “Homegrown Terrorism: The Threat to Military Communities Inside the United States” held by the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, detailing the plight of service member-clients and victims of Islamophobia within the armed forces.
December 2011 – International law firm Jones Day submitted a letter on behalf of MRFF on December 9, 2011 to Colonel Dwight Sones, Commander of the 60th Air Mobility Wing demanding removal or relocation of a Nativity scene and Menorah located at the main gate of Travis AFB. Although these religious symbols have not been removed, the following concessions have occurred:
· The Atheist Community at Travis AFB was allowed, after initial denial and some vandalism, to participate in the holiday display.
· Nighttime illumination directed to the nativity scene has now been extended to the other displays including the Menorah.
· U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Staff offered to meet with MRFF at Scott AFB to discuss unresolved issues prior to subsequent reneging on offer.
