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Book Review: For God and Country by James Yee (5 of 5)
In an encouraging and comical turn of events, the more serious charges against Yee were dropped and the army then charged Yee with adultery and downloading pornography. FBI agents even visited Huda at her home to tell her Yee was having affairs with at least three women! In a further slap in the face, the army stated that the original charges were dropped not as a recognition of Yee's innocence but because “national security concerns” prevented the alleged evidence from being released. Not surprisingly, the army has refused to give Yee an apology to this day.
For Yee, who wrote that he believes “religious freedom to be the most treasured American ideal,” it is hard to imagine how his belief in the U.S. army and our nation as a whole could not be completely destroyed. Yet after his record is cleared, Yee returns to the army as a chaplain to work toward becoming a first lieutenant colonel. However, the suspicion and harassment become unbearable and Yee finally resigns.
On a final note, it is unclear how much of a factor race was in the persecution of James Yee, and it is unclear if race enters Yee's own analysis of his experience. Yee clearly focuses on his religion as the reason that he was targeted and there is no question that anti-Muslim hysteria reached a peak in the years after 9/11. But given the growing paranoia regarding China's economic rise coupled with the likelihood that racism is enmeshed with anti-Muslim prejudice anyway, it is difficult to disregard Yee's race as a factor in his persecution.
