A Muslim marine said he was placed in a clothes dryer by a drunk instructor during marine boot camp and subjected to several anti-Muslim slurs, a new investigation has revealed.
The unnamed marine said drill instructors asked him if he was a “part of 9/11”, and was forced to remain inside the dryer while they grilled him about his faith.
The details emerged from a redacted report reviewed by ABC News of an investigation into the training practices at Parris Island, in South Carolina.
The investigation was triggered after Michigan native Raheel Siddiqui killed himself in March, having also reportedly been subjected to anti-Muslim slurs and physical abuse from drill instructors.
One of the drill sergeants who instructed the marine to step into the dryer, had also slapped Siddiqui in the face, moments before he jumped three stories from the balcony of a barracks building.
Siddiqui’s death triggered three board investigations. Last week, the marines announced the investigations were complete and 20 personnel were being considered for military justice or administrative actions, with some already relieved of their position.
The redacted report details the widespread hazing conducted in three platoons within Parris Island’s Third Battalion.
After completing the nine weeks of basic training, the Muslim marine said he was singled out by drill instructors due to his religion.
He said he was woken up by drill instructors whose breath smelled of alcohol and forced to march into the shower area. In the shower, with the water running, he was forced to do push-ups and stomach crunches.
He was then instructed to go into a large clothes dryer so that he could “dry off” before going back to bed. The instructors would open the dryer door periodically and ask him who he was working for, or what his religion was. Before entering, he was asked if he was a part of 9/11, he said.
The time in the dryer caused burns on his neck and shoulders, according to the marine, and he began to cry.
The marine also said that the drill sergeant had told him: “Over the past 14 years since 9/11 he has been fighting people exactly like him, Muslims.”
Another marine told investigators he heard the drill instructors ask, “You’re going to kill us all the first chance you get aren’t you, terrorist?”
The Michigan chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group, called for the Department of Justice to investigate the death of Raheel Siddiqui on Tuesday.
“The seriousness of this case rises to the level for intervention from the civil rights division of the Department of Justice,” said CAIR-MI’s executive director, Dawud Walid.
Siddiqui was a valedictorian at his high school and reportedly joined the marines to become a part of the FBI.
In a statement released through their attorney on Tuesday, his family said they were uncertain if he had actually killed himself.
“We believe there is a lack of material evidence needed to support ‘suicide’ as the most probable cause of death in this case,” the family said through their attorney Shiraz Khan.
A hearing will be held for the marine personnel under investigation, potentially in the coming weeks.
