Outrage! Steve Coughlin DoD Islam Law expert fired
by Jerry Gordon, American Congress for truth blog
Bill Gertz in his “Inside the Ring” column in today’s Washington Times revealed that Pentagon Islam Law expert, Stephen Coughlin was ’sacked’. After Gertz’s column late last month, that we highlighted in an ACT blog there was speculation about the reception that Coughlin would get upon his return from the long Christmas New Years break. Now we know-read the full Gertz story below.
This is outrageous! Coughlin’s premier work on Islamic Law had been cleared and approved for publication by the DIA. Or will it be? Perhaps those nervous Pentagon superiors will, in the wake of his departure, nix it under pressure from Islamists inside and outside the Pentagon. Coughlin, had lots of supporters for his valued work inside the Pentagon, but apparently the public disclosure of the animus of Hasham Islam Muslim outreach officer on Deputy Secretary England staff against him must have convinced some Pentagon officials to force Coughlin’s ouster.
This amounts to shooting the messenger who had crafted a telling message about the threat of Political Islam. It looks to many of us who know of Coughlin’s important work and have written about it that something nefarious is going on across the Potomac inside the E-ring in the ‘five sided squirrel cage’ that I knew as a former Army Intelligence officer.
Time to get the goods on who and why Coughlin was fired, as well as who and why Hasham Islam was hired.
This story is the moral equivalent of the Dreyfus affair in the 21st Century. Call it: l’affaire Coughlin.
Tags: Bill Gertz, Deputy Secretary England, Hasham Islam, Stephen Couglin Pentagon Islam Law expert sacked, Washington Times
January 4th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I suppose that the snakes in our government can not abide by anyone who dares to tell the truth. Only the president and his Secretary of Defence could cause this. Seems to me that they did the same thing to Bolton.
January 5th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Shalom Jerry,
I read that Ring article when it came out.
Must agree with Ed. The White House signed off on this.
We must accept 2 major points:
- The United States is in a dangerous economic situation.
- The Arabs have the US over a petrodollar barrel, both figuratively and literally.
It takes time to rectify.
Kol tuv,
January 5th, 2008 at 8:20 am
If Coughlin’s firing at the behest of Hasham Islam, Muslim outreach officer on Deputy Secretary England’s staff is outrageous, then what if anything can be done to assure this outrage is corrected including efforts to ensure this outrage reaches the media.
The focus should be put on Deputy Secretary England and his decision to have Hasham Islam on staff and why D.S. England has included a Muslim outreach initiative as part of his department’s function.
Does D.S. England’s department also have a Jewish, Christian, Hindu, etc. outreach function? If not, why not?
It is one thing to decry that Coughlin’s firing is an outrage. It is quite another to do something about it to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and that this outrage is remedied.
January 5th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
The link to Bill Gertz’ “Inside the Ring” is more instructive than perhaps we would like to think. Following the piece on the firing of Stephen Coughlin there are two other pieces, the last of which is the one which has relevance for Israel. It concerns Condi Rice’s change in policy on Taiwan, with the State Department throwing its support to mainland China. What she is doing to Taiwan, she is doing to Israel. It’s her pattern of siding with the stronger or more important element in a conflict. If Israel becomes weaker, ala Olmert’s plans, nothing can save it from being eaten. Either Mr. Olmert knows this, which makes him a traitor, or he does not know this, which means he is hiding from the facts and thus cannot lead. The last part of the piece follows so no reader has to return to the link.
China missiles
The Pentagon’s latest estimate of Chinese missile deployment opposite Taiwan is that there are now more than 1,000 missiles aimed at Taiwan.
“China has deployed roughly 1,000 mobile CSS-6 and CSS-7 short-range ballistic missiles to garrisons opposite Taiwan,” said one knowledgeable defense official.
The official declined to comment on a Tuesday speech by Chen Shui-bian, president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), who stated that Taiwanese military intelligence now counts 1,328 Chinese missiles deployed within range of Taiwan, an increase of more than 300 from earlier estimates.
The China missile buildup has drawn no criticism from the Bush administration, which appears to have shifted its policy away from supporting Taiwan to backing communist-ruled mainland China.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last month echoed Beijing in calling Taiwan’s plan for a vote on United Nations membership as “provocative.” By contrast, Miss Rice and other administration officials have said nothing about the missile buildup, which the Pentagon says is designed for a massive “decapitation” strike against Taiwan in any future conflict.
Defense officials said the policy tilt toward Beijing is due to the growing power of pro-China and anti-Taiwan policy and intelligence officials located at key posts within the National Security Council staff, the State Department, Treasury Department and within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
• Bill Gertz covers national security affairs. He can be reached at 202/636-3274, or at InsideTheRing@washingtontimes.com.