A Muslim employee at the Barstow Marine Base in California reportedly made a threat last month and has since been “disbarred from the base” until the matter is resolved.
According to the Daily Press, Mohamad Abbas works at Marine Corps Logics Base Barstow. However, since Dec. 10, he’s been forbidden from entering the base, and is currently on paid administrative leave.
Abbas claims there was never any threat made and blames Islamophobia for the allegations. He told the Daily Press, he believes he became a target following the Dec. 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino. Abbas says he’s the only Muslim working on the base.
“His debarment was not based on his religious background, but rather upon his reported conduct, which was deemed to pose a threat to persons aboard MCLB Barstow,” said a Marine Corps Logistics Base spokesman.
US Army vet Ray Reyes says, “I don’t think he made a threat. Some co-workers were talking. They went overboard trying to make an example of him.”
Reyes is the President of American Federation of Government Employees No. 1482 union. He’s supporting Abbas in his defense of the allegation.
A statement released by the base said in part, “…there are American Muslims that serve honorably as active duty military, civilian employees, and contractors. They are all able to access military facilities in the same manner as any other person, and a person’s religion is not a factor in determining whether that person may access MCLB Barstow.”
