The Pentagon will launch an internal probe into speeches given at churches and prayer breakfasts by a senior military intelligence official in which he said Muslims worship an idol and not a "real God," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Tuesday.
Following Rumsfeld's announcement of an investigation into the propriety of statements made by Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican, urged that Boykin be reassigned, at least temporarily.
Warner's office also released a copy of a letter he wrote to Rumsfeld on Friday, along with Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the top Democrat on the committee, urging the Pentagon inspector general's office to conduct a "thorough review of the facts" and make "a determination as to whether there had been any inappropriate behavior" by Boykin.
Rumsfeld said he thought it was appropriate to have an investigation into the remarks by Boykin, an evangelical Christian who serves as deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and war-fighting support.
Rumsfeld said Boykin had requested an investigation.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Warner said, "I think at this point in time, while we have young men and women patrolling the streets of Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of the world that it is best that we try and take this matter, hopefully, off the front pages with the representation to the American public and others that the proper authorities are reviewing it."
In their letter, Warner and Levin said "there are limits on the right of expression for service members."
"Public statements by a senior military official of an inflammatory, offensive nature that would denigrate another religion and which could be construed as bigotry may easily be exploited by enemies of the United States and contribute to an erosion of support within the Arab world and, perhaps, increased risk for members of the U.S. armed forces serving in Muslim nations," Warner and Levin wrote.
'RESPONSIBLE THING TO DO'
Rumsfeld offered few details of the probe, saying the Army inspector general's office may conduct it, followed by a review by the Defense Department's inspector general's office. He did not indicate if he believed Boykin had done anything wrong and did not criticize the general's remarks.
"He has requested an inspector general review the matter. It seems to me that's a perfectly responsible thing for him to do, on his part. That is what is going to take place," Rumsfeld told a Pentagon briefing.
Boykin's comments surfaced last week when NBC News broadcast videotapes of him giving speeches while wearing his Army uniform at various Christian functions.
In one speech, Boykin referred to a Muslim fighter in Somalia who said U.S. forces would never catch him because Allah would protect him. "Well, you know what I knew, that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol," Boykin said.
In his remarks, Boykin portrayed the U.S. war on terrorism as a clash with "Satan," saying Islamic radicals sought to destroy America "because we're a Christian nation." Several Democrats and some religious and civil rights groups have condemned his remarks.
Boykin said in a statement on Friday he was "neither a zealot nor an extremist," was "not anti-Islam or any other religion," and offered a "sincere apology" to those offended by his remarks.
Rumsfeld said he and President Bush do not see the war on terrorism as a war against Islam.
Rumsfeld said he still is not sure what Boykin has said, saying that he had seen only one tape of "very poor quality."