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Name:
Yousef Michael El-Yousseph
Rank:
Specialist
Service :
US Army
Status:
Deployed to Iraq
Specialty:
Helicopter Mechanic
SUMMARY
Yousef is the son of retired US Air Force Technical Sergeant Mahmoud El-Yousseph,
a native of
Columbus
,
Ohio
. Born and raised in
a Palestine refugee camp in Lebanon, Mahmoud immigrated to the US
in 1977 and enlisted in the US Air Force in 1984.
His son, US Army Specialist Yousef El-Yousseph enlisted in March of 2004 at the
age of 24. The eldest of six
children, Yousef is now stationed in
Iraq
as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His
hobbies include flying, mountain hiking, Playing billiards, and target shooting.
Local Muslims React To Beheading
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WorldNow and Dispatch Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
There were some strong words on the murder of Nick Berg
from the Council on American Islamic Relations Wednesday.
Central Ohio
Muslims issued a statement condemning those responsible, and they weren't
alone.
The grisly video tape is the talk of the nation's airwaves with some saying,
"Americans are outraged." There
is outcry over the headlines. "Killing is totally against the teaching of
Islam." There is also anger on
the streets. One local resident said, "It just makes you gasp."
Another said, "I think it's obviously disgusting"
For
Westerville
's Mahmoud El-Yousseph, a proud Arab-American, the beheading of American Nick
Berg has left him in disbelief. "To
evoke the name of god while you're killing him. God is great in Arabic; it's
beyond imagination. It's uncalled for," he says.
This father of six is urging Muslims to speak out against
the war crime. He argues true Muslims promote peace not violence.
El-Yousseph says, "This is vicious. This is ugly. This is inhumane and has
nothing to do with religion." El-Yousseph
can't help but wonder if someday his son could meet a similar fate, because his
son is a soldier in the U.S. Army.
"He's my oldest son. He is 24. He's in boot camp. He may have to go
to
Iraq
," says El-Yousseph. He continues saying, "You know you see these
images and you wonder God forbid. It's scary" El-Yousseph says too many
Americans have died in
Iraq
and believes it's time for
US
forces leave
Iraq
and let UN forces take over.
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