Nidal Malik Hasan and Islam
Multiple comments by and about Nidal Malik Hasan are very disturbing. If these are remotely true (and they surely look like they are), it is not obvious how one can claim that this isn't religiously motivated. Take this:
A recent classmate said Hasan once gave a jarring presentation to students in which he argued the war on terrorism was a war against Islam, and "made himself a lightning rod for things" when he felt his religious beliefs were challenged. . . .
and
Soldiers reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — an Arabic phrase for "God is great!" — before opening fire Thursday, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the base commander.
and
"He said, precisely, that maybe the Muslims should stand up and fight against the aggressor."
and
Danquah assumed the military's chain of command knew about Hasan's doubts, which had been known for more than a year to classmates at the Maryland graduate military medical program. His fellow students complained to the faculty about Hasan's "anti-American propaganda," but said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim student kept officers from filing a formal complaint. . . .
and
Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 at the Fort Hood, Texas, Army base, communicated 10 to 20 times with a radical Islamic cleric in Yemen who on Monday called Maj. Hasan a "hero" and criticized U.S. Muslim groups that condemned the killing spree. . . . . Mr. Awlaki was once the imam, or spiritual leader, at a Virginia mosque frequented by Maj. Hasan and his family.
and
The Army psychiatrist believed to have killed 13 people at Fort Hood warned a roomful of senior Army physicians a year and a half ago that to avoid "adverse events," the military should allow Muslim soldiers to be released as conscientious objectors instead of fighting in wars against other Muslims. . . .
A copy of his presentation is here.
A recent classmate said Hasan once gave a jarring presentation to students in which he argued the war on terrorism was a war against Islam, and "made himself a lightning rod for things" when he felt his religious beliefs were challenged. . . .
and
Soldiers reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — an Arabic phrase for "God is great!" — before opening fire Thursday, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the base commander.
and
"He said, precisely, that maybe the Muslims should stand up and fight against the aggressor."
and
Danquah assumed the military's chain of command knew about Hasan's doubts, which had been known for more than a year to classmates at the Maryland graduate military medical program. His fellow students complained to the faculty about Hasan's "anti-American propaganda," but said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim student kept officers from filing a formal complaint. . . .
and
Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 at the Fort Hood, Texas, Army base, communicated 10 to 20 times with a radical Islamic cleric in Yemen who on Monday called Maj. Hasan a "hero" and criticized U.S. Muslim groups that condemned the killing spree. . . . . Mr. Awlaki was once the imam, or spiritual leader, at a Virginia mosque frequented by Maj. Hasan and his family.
and
The Army psychiatrist believed to have killed 13 people at Fort Hood warned a roomful of senior Army physicians a year and a half ago that to avoid "adverse events," the military should allow Muslim soldiers to be released as conscientious objectors instead of fighting in wars against other Muslims. . . .
A copy of his presentation is here.
Labels: GunFreeZone, military, NidalMalikHasan
posted by John Lott at 12:50 PM
6 Comments:
Of course it is religiously motivated. We in the west separate religion from government, but the east doesn't.
They live in a theocracy. They are perfectly comfortable living in a theocracy.
Why shouldn't they view a war called "spreading Democracy" on their government it as a war on their religion?
and the CIA a=has repeatedly acknowledged that the Middle East views western occupation as an attack on their religion.
I understand the American Exceptionalism philosophy, but not to expect repercussions is naive and apparently dangerous.
Why the military intelligence isn't keenly aware of the potential conflict between loyalties is the real mystery.
Mr. Hasan is wrong to think the War on Terror is a war against Islam. U.S. government policy in the Middle East since the late '40s has been driven of course by Persian Gulf oil. The goal of U.S. policy is very simple: keep the Gulf countries pumping a lot of crude oil at cheap prices. Without cheap Persian Gulf oil, the entire world would be a lot poorer place. For the most part, the U.S. government efforts to manage Persian Gulf oil have been successful except for a few hiccups along the way such as the '74 Arab oil embargo and the '79 Iranian revolution.
Religion might have been the driving force if that's all he had in his head. But he was a shrink. He knew how to think.
My take? He was depressed over his cowardice and his hypocrisy - afraid to go to war, afraid to give up his cushy job without having to pay back all the money the Army spent educating him. He felt trapped, and this is where religion came in. It diverted him from his self-loathing and gave him a way out. Under this self-imposed duress he could start believing in the 70 virgins for real.
In his vulnerability he felt empowered by a metaphysics his professional training ordinarily would have refuted.
Be interesting to see how he plays it in court.
Markie Marxist sez: "Ha! Ha! We've paralyzed America with political correctness! They can't lift a finger against our Marxist/warrior/hero/criminal/Jihadi's! Even when they're being poked in the eye! Ha! Ha!"
How likely was the US Army to take action against a potentially dangerous Muslim officer, while the son of a Muslim was presiding over them as Commander-in-Chief? The answer, as we sadly now know, is, "not likely".
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