A professor at West Point Military Academy who wrote a book on Islam has been placed on administrative leave, and while the school says it has nothing to do with 2nd Lt. Spenser Rapone – the former cadet and Army officer who was recently exposed as a socialist organizer – Dr. Rasheed Hosein had mentored Rapone up to his graduation in May 2016.
(Twitter)
Hosein had taught Western Civilization and Middle Eastern history at West Point since July 2011. He earned his doctorate in pre-Islamic and early Islamic history at the University of Chicago in December 2010. Hosein also has a master’s degree in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations from the University of Toronto.
(West Point Military Academy)
He has penned the book “Islamic Civilization: The History, Society, and Culture of the Muslim World (2 volumes),” which is “under contract” and “publication forthcoming,” according to his page on West Point’s site.
The /Pol/ News Network posted to Twitter on Wednesday: “Spenser Rapone, and others, are West Point graduates and admit they’re positioning themselves to overthrow the US government.”
(Twitter)
“How are people graduating from West Point so radicalized? Users on /pol/ think they may have found the answer: Professor Rasheed Hosein,” they tweeted.
(Twitter)
“It looks like users on /pol/ may have been right again. While West Point claims these are unrelated, it’s obvious Hosein was up to something,” they later said.
(Twitter)
Breitbart News Network reported that West Point confirmed Hosein was on administrative leave but that it was not related to Rapone.
“We are unable to provide information regarding administrative actions but can confirm that the details are unrelated to 2nd Lieutenant Rapone,” the spokesman told Breitbart.
Rapone was recently discovered to be a Communist propagandist and “official socialist organizer” of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) after he posted a photo of himself in support of professional football player Colin Kaepernick, where he is seen holding his uniform cap with the phrase “Communism will win” posted inside. He tagged “Veterans for Kaepernick” in the post.
Rapone is a 2LT (Second Lieutenant) and an infantry officer in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y. He has deployed and received a combat infantryman badge (CIB).
(Twitter)
Kaepernick garnered national attention last year when he took a knee during the national anthem to protest what he believes to be problems in America, namely police brutality and black inequality. The protests took on a renewed vigor over the weekend after President Donald Trump recently called on players to stand and show respect to the anthem and flag.
Rapone also posted a second photo of himself in uniform, and he is seen wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt underneath his uniform jacket. Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary who believed the poor people of Latin America would be saved by communism.
(Twitter)
Communism is a political theory penned by Karl Marx that advocates class war and a society where the lower class would revolt and take down the upper class, destroying capitalism and bringing about socio-economic emancipation where all property is publicly owned and people are paid based on their skills and needs.
Rapone tweeted: “In case there was any lingering doubt, hasta la victoria siempre,” which means “until victory, always,” and are lyrics to a song that became famous after Guevara’s death in 1967.
Rapone’s social media is filled with up to hundreds of posts, messages and photos that are now being circulated around the military and civilian communities. However, his Twitter account is now set to protected, and his Instagram account has been taken down. His Facebook, where he goes under Giuseppe Impastato, is private.
(Spenser Rapone/Facebook)
Pol News shared several posts they found from social media that show other sentiments similar to those of Rapone, and it would appear others follow the same beliefs.
One user posted on a thread: “I’m currently an infantry officer at Ft. Drum, NY assigned to the same brigade that she was while enlisted. Every single day I think of the contradictions of being a communist while in this organization, and her courage and tenacity gives me strength to continue the long march through the institutions,” referring to the struggle of Chinese communists.
Then he responded to a comment warning him to be careful, and wrote: “I know comrade, but I feel like we should not hide any longer.”
(Screen Shot/Twitter)
On one Facebook thread, a user named Daniel O’Sullivan posted: “Yes Rusty, that’s exactly what we’re doing. As you can see, a lot of us are already in place. Nobody will believe you before it’s too late…” and added a smiley face.
(Screen shot from Facebook/Twitter)
Pol News also posted a photo that Rapone had put up on Instagram showing off an “antifascist action” flag with the caption: “New room decor… until it’s flying proudly in the streets.”
(Instagram screen shot/Twitter)
And in a Facebook post from Suhanraj Rajasegaran, Rapone is tagged in a photo with the caption: “We aren’t all that broke, but explorers of our stature would rather die than pay for the bourgeois comfort of a hostel,” with the tags “West Point” and “commie,” among others.
(Facebook screen shot/Twitter)
West Point responded this week to Rapone’s posts and growing concerns.
(USMA Website)
The following statement was released on the academy’s website:
“RESPONSE TO SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS BY USMA GRADUATE — September 26, 2017
The U.S. Military Academy strives to develop leaders who internalize the academy’s motto of Duty, Honor, Country, and who live the Army values. Second Lieutenant Rapone’s actions in no way reflect the values of the U.S. Military Academy or the U.S. Army.
As figures of public trust, members of the military must exhibit exemplary conduct, and are prohibited from engaging in certain expressions of political speech in uniform. Second Lieutenant Rapone’s chain of command is aware of his actions and is looking into the matter.
The academy is prepared to assist the officer’s chain of command as required.”
And, U.S. Army spokesperson Valerie Mongello told American Military News this week:
“Both the Department of Defense and the Army have long-standing policies encouraging Soldiers to participate in the democratic process. Among other activities, Soldiers are encouraged to vote in elections and express their personal opinions on public issues. However, the Army has strict rules regarding the wear and appearance of Army uniforms.”
“All allegations of improper behavior by Soldiers are forwarded to the Soldier’s commander for review and final disposition. The appropriate Command authorities are reviewing the situation.”
