MRFF's Inbox
April 11, 2009
Dear Mr. Weinstein,
I'm writing to you because I feel that I have nowhere else to turn to.
I'm one of 3,500 service members stationed at U.S. Naval Support
Activity (NSA) Bahrain in Manama, Bahrain. In celebration of the
Christian holiday Good Friday, the NSA chaplain erected eight large
crosses down the main outdoor corridor of the installation. You can
imagine my surprise when I walked down this very public area and saw
these large crosses, in different colors, tied to the light poles.
The crosses are quite large; at six feet tall, they towered over me.
There was no context to them: no notes, no signs, no responsible
people next to them. I searched the immediate area for anyone to ask
about these religious symbols, and I found no one. Feeling helpless
in the face of this blatant endorsement of Christianity, I immediately
began researching your organization.
As I poured over instructions and laws, I spoke with other Sailors who
were upset about the crosses. It turns out that about an hour later,
the Chaplain and a small group of people proceeded on a pre-planned
procession, which I believe to be a “Stations of the Cross” ceremony.
Several of us were upset that our Constitutional rights were infringed
upon by the command and its apparent Christian bias. We are in the
Middle East, engaged in the War on Terror, doing our part next to
everyone else to support and defend the Constitution. However, we
feel that the U.S. Navy doesn't support those who are non-Christian.
There have been no religious symbols displayed for any other religious
holiday; just for the Christians. In President Obama's Inauguration
address, our hearts were full when he mentioned "non-believers." But
having these symbols erected on land leased to us by the Kingdom of
Bahrain, demeans the very purpose of why we are fighting here in the
Middle East; to uphold the values and ideals set forth in the U.S.
Constitution.
Thank you for your assistance - we feel that addressing this issue on
our own would lead to a black mark on our records and nothing more.
Sincerely,
(name, Navy rank, unit and job title withheld)
Click above image to enlarge
"Here are the crosses that were up for Good Friday. This pic is of them
being stored behind the chapel in another walkway."