White House: Muslim Marine Recruit’s Death is ‘Disturbing’

WASHINGTON, DC — President Obama is aware of the circumstances surrounding the death of a Muslim American Marine recruit from southeast Michigan 11 days after he reported for basic training at a South Carolina training facility already under investigation for hazing allegations, the White House said Thursday.

Marine Pvt. Raheel Siddiqui, 20, of Taylor, died last March after he fell three stories down a barracks stairwell at Parris Island, South Carolina. The investigation revealed that he had been assaulted by a drill instructor who had been accused of forcing another Muslim American recruit inside a clothes dryer and making racially charged remarks.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said at Thursday’s press briefing that Obama “takes quite seriously the responsibility that he has as commander-in-chief in ensuring that recruits to the United States military are treated with dignity and respect and not subject to abuse and hazing,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

“There’s no denying that the graphic details that are included in these reports are disturbing,” Earnest said, adding that he’s confident the Marine Corps is taking the matters seriously and will hold those responsible for misconduct accountable.

No hearings have been held as a result of the sweeping investigation that has targeted as many 20 Marines, but U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat in Dearborn, said after visiting Parris Island last weekend that they have been placed on mandatory suspension by Brigadier Gen. Austin E. Renforth, the facility’s new commanding general.

Three investigations have been completed by the Marine Corps into allegations of mistreatment of recruits, including Siddiqui, whose death was initially listed by the Marines as a suicide — a finding his family disputes.

The Story So Far

• Dingell Presses for Answers on Muslim Marine’s Death
• Investigators Want to Know: How Did Muslim Marine End Up Dead?
• 20 Marines May Be Charged in Death of Muslim Marine from Michigan
• Marines ‘Serious’ in Probe of Muslim Recruit’s Death: Congresswoman

In a statement this week, Siddiqui family lawyer Shiraz Khan said the evidence doesn’t support the Marine Corps’ conclusion that the 20-year-old recruit with no history of mental illness likely jumped over a wall and fell three stories after his drill sergeant slapped him in the face and forced him to repeatedly run the length of the squad bay.

“The ‘collective’ hazing, abuse and maltreatment Raheel was subject to is far beyond just a ‘departure from the policies and procedures’ established for Marine Corps recruit training,” Khan said in a statement. “The family feels that their son, Raheel, was targeted and intentionally abused.”

At Parris Island, three separate investigations have revealed deviations from established policies and procedures for Marine Corps recruit training, and 20 recruit training regiment personnel have been identified for possible military justice or administrative action.

The investigation also revealed that in 2015, the drill instructor over Siddiqui’s training had been accused of harassing another Muslim recruit.

He allegedly forced the recruit into a front-loading clothes dryer, accused the recruit of helping to plan the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and then switched on the dryer, forcing him to spin around in the machine, a Marine official familiar with the investigation told The Wall Street Journal.

During the recruit’s nearly two-hour ordeal, which included rigorous calisthenics in the shower, at least one other recruit overheard the drill instructor say: “Why are you even here? You’re gonna kill us the first chance you get, aren’t you, you terrorist? What are your plans, are you a terrorist?”

Dingell, whose congressional district includes the community where Siddiqui’s family lives, visited the Parris Island Training Depot with California Congressman Darrell Issa, who has been looking into reports of abuse at the Camp Pendleton Base Camp.

Dingell and Issa met with Renforth and other senior leaders to talk about reforms that have been implemented to prevent tragedies like Siddiqui’s death from occurring again in the future.

“As evidence of this, he has implemented immediate changes in both personnel and policies — including the mandatory suspension of personnel who are being investigated for abuse or hazing, adding more officers to oversee the recruit training process, and implementing other cultural changes,” Dingell said in a statement. “This is just a first step and continued monitoring in the weeks and months ahead will be necessary to ensure these policies have their intended effect.

“My heart aches for Private Siddiqui’s family. No matter what we do, we can never bring him back, but we must ensure something good comes of this. The men and women who follow in his footsteps must receive fair treatment on their way to becoming our nation’s finest fighters.”

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