Muslim digger told he'd never be promoted by Australian army

A Muslim digger claims he was judged by the Australian army as a security risk, and told he would never be promoted.

The Australian soldier who converted to Islam, joined the army after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Eight months later he converted after marrying an Indonesian woman.

Lateline reported the man worked as a drone pilot for the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition regiment and was deployed to Afghanistan for eight months in 2011.

The soldier, who went by the false name of Anthony John to speak with media, feared being identified because he worried he’d become a target of Islamic extremists.

He said he had experienced discrimination throughout his military career, which spanned 14 years.

He also claimed the abuse was commonly dished out by senior officers.

"My immediate supervisor told me that I would never be deployed or promoted because I'm a security risk," he said.

"Because I was a Muslim."

Mr John said he became unpopular among his coworkers when he complained that a member of his unit had shared their hatred for Muslims, calling them ‘filthy dog rat scum’ in an online post.

The army veteran said he was excluded from counseling sessions and when he asked for flexible working hours during Ramadan, an army chaplain told him that ‘if he wanted to practice Islam properly he should find another job’.

When he reported the incident he was allegedly told he could be charged with making a vexatious complaint.

Mr John’s lawyer Brian Briggs claimed the alleged discrimination had taken a ‘severe impact’ on his client.

In a statement the ADF confirmed the soldier's complaints were investigated but declined to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns.