Muslim sailors face frame-up by U.S. Navy

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20 SOCIALIST ACTION MAY 1991 CO application be approved. But it was de- At the peak of the U.S. propaganda nied out of hand by the Marine Corps brass buildup for the Gulf War, two young on the grounds that it was based "solely on Black sailors on an aircraft carrier in the political grounds." Persian Gulf were arrested on spectacular Rivkin stated at an April 19 press confer- charges. They were accused of "enence, following the federal court hearing, couraging fellow sailors to sabotage the that his client's right to free expression is aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ranger's aircraftbeing violated because the Marine Corps launching system and kidnap the skipper, plans to court-martial Larsen in retaliation Capt. Ernest Christensen." (New York for his antiwar speeches. Larsen toured some Times, March 30, 1991). 22 U.S. cities as well as Germany, England, A Navy spokesperson, Lt. Cdr. Kevin and Italy to help build the international an- Mukri, claimed that they had done this in tiwar movement. answer to Saddam Hussein's call for a Handcuffed and Shanghaied Muslim holy war against the United States. The two sailors were ordered to When Larsen turned himself in to Marine face court martial on March 29, and face Corps authorities at Treasure Island, Calif., a possible sentence of 10 years in prison, on March 21, he was immediately handcuffed forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and and flown to Camp LeJeune, N.C., where he reduction to the lowest rank. was told by the commanding officer that a The Black Muslim newspaper, The sentence of "seven years to life was almost Final Call, reported April 22 on a news guaranteed." conference given by the two and interWhile in custody, the threats against views with relatives. One of the defenLarsen have escalated—-which is why he now dants, Kevin Brothers, 22 years old, faces the death penalty. changed his name to Abdul Shaheed. His friend and co-defendant is James Moss, 21 years old. Shaheed reportedly converted to Islam two years ago. The Black Muslim paper did not say if Moss was also a Muslim. But before the war, he applied for Conscientious Objector status.

Shaheed reported that he had been arrested on Jan. 17, the night the United States launched its air campaign against Iraq, while he was praying. "Just because I am a Muslim, that does not mean that I support Saddam Hussein," Shaheed said.

Moss also rejected the charges: "I have never supported Iraq or Saddam Hussein. In fact, I have always opposed Saddam Hussein, Iraq and war in general."

This case has all the hallmarks of anti-Black and anti-Muslim hysteria. It can be an important test of the U.S. authorities' ability to use the Gulf War hype to attack Blacks and other minorities. speaker at many of the mass demonstrations in the San Francisco Bay Area—is expected to turn himself in to the military authorities soon. He will more than likely face the same charges as Larsen.

In addition to the legal-defense funds established by the families of Erik Larsen and Tahan Jones, a joint effort has also been initiated by their supporters and families. This includes the organization of a mass rally in the Bay Area in early June.

Rally coordinator Hilary Diamond, formerly the staff director of the Mobilization to Bring the Troops Home Now, told Socialist Action that a major effort was underway to galvanize the widest possible support for the defense efforts of Larsen and Jones.

With the agreement of their families, a Jones/Larsen Defense Fund has been established to organize the June rally and publicize the cases of these two GIs across the U.S. and internationally.

Tax-free contributions to this effort can be made as follows: For Erik Larsen: Hayward Area Peace Fellowship/Erik Larsen Defense Fund. For Tahan Jones: Third World Resisters/Tahan Jones Defense Fund. For the joint fundraising effort: Jones/Larsen Defense Fund. All checks can be mailed to the Jones/Larsen Defense Fund, 4229 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609. Telephone (415) 655-1201.