ASSOCIATED PRESS – Nativity scenes at Guantanamo spark protest
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GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) — Some troops at Guantanamo Bay want the U.S. Navy to remove nativity scenes and Christmas decorations from two base dining facilities, saying they improperly promote Christianity over other faiths, an organization that advocates for religious freedom in the military said Wednesday.
A group of 18 service members from several faiths contacted the Military Religious Freedom Foundation for help in removing the nativity scenes and decorations because they figured they would be ignored and feared retribution, said Mikey Weinstein, the president of the organization. The troops, he added, also prefer to remain anonymous because of a possible backlash.
“They are terrified,” Weinstein said. “Right now, there is a witch hunt going on to find out who did this.”
Eleven of the troops who complained are Protestant and Catholic and the rest are Muslim, Jewish, agnostic or atheist, Weinstein said.