Austin, Texas

  Thursday's fatal shooting at Fort Hood military base in Texas, in which 12 people were killed and over 30 wounded, would be horrific under any circumstances. But the reported identity of one of the shooters killed, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, is only going to make things worse. The 39 year-old is a reported convert to Islam, which will make religion the prism through which this act of murder is viewed.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was reportedly troubled by his impending deployment to Iraq. Mental instability and depression has resulted in violence within the armed forces before. But unless Hasan left an explicit message to that effect, a religiously-inspired political act of violence is, much as we'd be unwilling to admit it, entirely plausible. With that in mind, Muslims will have to ask themselves some difficult questions as to why there are still those among us who continue to find justification for acts such as this in their faith.

Until then, American Muslims should consider this an act of betrayal and treachery, regardless of the political sphere surrounding America's wars overseas. It is clear that Islam does not condone (if we must entertain the killer's possible motives) any sort of extrajudicial punishment. It is also clear that any scholarly consensus on the matter has not been communicated widely enough, particularly - it must be said - with those who may be new to the religion.

Unfortunately, current active-duty Muslim servicemen and women will have to try even harder in the wake of this shooting to prove their loyalty to their fellow soldiers. It must be said that dozens of Muslim-Americans have already given their lives in the service of their country just in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to offering our condolences to the families of the fallen, we must reassert our solidarity with Muslim-Americans currently in the services who don't deserve to face hostility from two fronts.

A convert eh? Well, as a convert myself, I am glad he was a convert because at least that will divert the ethnic angle of Muslims from Muslim countries. What kind of convert was he? And yes, there are "kinds" of Muslim converts and some are highly politically motivated in their conversion. Where was he born? What was his ancestry? Like it or not, there are certain threads and themes that run through these stories. It will be very interesting to see the rest of the story. How deeply had he served in Iraq or/and Afganistan if at all? What about all the incidents of guys coming home and blowing their families away after cracking from a variety of factors. Was he on psych meds? A lot of psychiatrists are self medicating with all kinds of stuff.

Later reports he is not a convert but is of "Middle Eastern" descent. Not that that means anything but, well, it's very unfortunate.

Let's start a new public service campaign for our fellow "Mulims": "If you're angry enough to use a gun, please use it on yourself first and do the rest of us a favor."

He's an Arab, not a convert like Sgt Akbar was. He spent 14 years in the military but never once deployed overseas, so it seems like many contemporary NON-HEROES, he was a wussie and a freeloader; he was disciplined for giving aggressive "da'wa" to his patients and arguing with collegaues about US policy because true to form, he was unable to tolerate others. He's exactly the kind of person we should prevent from joining or harass him into resigning his service.

But, no, he wanted to mooch off taxpayers to pay for his status-enhancing medical degree, like his comrades in Europe who sprout BS but depend on Euro-welfare so they don't have to pay for things themselves. God, burn him in hell!

Well... more news has come out regarding that stunning failure of psychiatry, Nidal Malik Hasan. He is of Palestinian descent (that little bit of info is like catnip for Fox News) and currently numerous hard drives and web postings linked to the suspect are being examined by law enforcement . Perhaps the most significant development in this god-awful mess is his link to a Virginia Mosque that apparently hosted at least two Sept. 11 terrorists (before they blew themselves to bits). The imam of the mosque at that time was Anwar al Awlaki, who has made many inflammatory comments regarding the West and the legitimacy of violent acts like suicide bombings. His latest work on his website is titled "Nidal Hasan Did the Right Thing" (http://www.anwar-alawlaki.com/?p=228)
The first line of his op-ed reads as follows: "Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people." You are all welcome to read the rest of his statement on the massacre. Depending on who you are you may feel elated at reading his words... or you may feel compelled to vomit in your mouth. Right now I am finishing off a bottle of mouth wash. This "religious leader" has left the states sometime ago and reports say he may be living in Yemen. Yes, Yemen. He has also been linked to many "activists" the world over. Somehow I think a very large, remote controlled model airplane may visit him in the near future. If it happens I won't be too broken hearted.

>>> religiously-inspired political act of violence is, much as we'd be unwilling to admit it, entirely plausible.

He's an army psychiatrist. Suicide rates aside in this profession, he already attempted to avoid serving in Iraq. He is also obviously privy to the hidden secrets of mililtary men with PTD. This is what the media and veterans don't want to admit. After all this time, his actions are a consequence of what he knows about the army and not what he believes about the religion.

Linking people to masjids just shows an arrogance and misunderstanding of the religion. Masjids and their imaams have influence, but they don't control the forum of Muslim discussion (like they sometimes tend to think they do). Muslim communities depend on Imaams because they can facilitate our observances with more certainty than others. They are religious clerics, but NOT community leaders.

SMDC >>> The imam of the mosque at that time was Anwar al Awlaki,

Alot of people like Anwar, but I think he is a typical Salafist of the new era. A real problem for Muslims who don't want live like hypocrites and who don't see a persons religion as a capital crime. He as an intelligent and resourceful scholar, but is so dogmatic and so certain in his application of deen that he can't see the wood from the trees. One of Saudi-Americas worst exports. He is a proponent of this recent "pure" Islam movement, which is really just a theological construct of the way the world works. Theology is not a good way to understand the world.

He comes from that typical upper-middle class elitist view of the world and he couldn't give a stuff about reaching out to other less "pure" Muslims. Another warped product of excessive dependence on Ibn-Taymiyyah. Talking about "peace" in a violent way and then claiming innocence in the light of how its incoherent philosophies distort communities. Its like George W Bush winning the hearts and minds, Condoleeza Rice liberating Iraqis, Hugh Hefner empowering women etc.

But Anwar is a typical example of what I find are blatant failings in US "intelligence" agencies. He is obviously an extremist and obviously encourages "fighting in the path", which means killing non-Muslims. An ordinary Arab or Paki would disappear into the labyrinth of torture prisons and modes of international incarceration, effectively "disappearing". Yet here's a guy in Yemen who actively "quells" minority firebrands and terrorists IN ENGLISH, yet Anwar has this free pass to actively promote violence by all these agencies and there proxies in the middle east?

He does so online, in literature, video conferencing, lectures ... and nothing gets done to him. He is not monitored? Yet everyone around him actively takes up extremist views and probably even extremist actions. Makes no sense to me. Yet, the US has managed through its influence to make those kinds of actions illegal in my beloved South Africa. There's a disconnect around Anwar and Yemen, unless he knows some powerful duaas. The human rights situation in Yemen is poor

http://ww4report.com/node/7825
It hosts probably the most important Sufi school for Indian Ocean Muslims who are obviously more principled around the limited scope of Jihaad.

http://www.presstv.com/classic/Detail.aspx?id=105808§ionid=351020206
http://en.trend.az/regions/met/arabicr/1561511.html
Its Shia members are oppressed because of obvious Saudi influences, yet it was the longest running Shia (Zaydi) kingdom ending only in the late 19th century.

http://armiesofliberation.com/archives/2008/06/17/three-uss-cole-families-demand-release-of-al-khaiwani-and-re-incarceration-of-al-badawi/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Yemen
Poor human rights record, yet the government are close American Allys. And in the middle east that means, they do what the US tells them to.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/83153
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060313/13yemen.htm

So why does Awlaki and his supporters have such free reign in this relatively small population of 23 million with close American ties? It bewilders me that some taxi driver in Egypt will be tortured for driving the wrong guy to the airport, yet an "imam" who actively connects violent networks gets off scott free in a country that routinely incarcerates, tortures and hangs provocateurs with the support and training of the US.

>>> Yet here's a guy in Yemen who actively "quells" minority firebrands and terrorists IN ENGLISH, yet Anwar has this free pass to actively promote violence by all these agencies and there proxies in the middle east?

Apologies. Should read 'The Yemeni government actively "quells" (through torture imprisonment etc.) firebrands, yet Anwar preaches violence in ENGLISH and still has this free pass to actively promote violence by all these agencies and there proxies in the middle east?'

Salaam said he received many awards in the Air Force. He wore his "kufi" -- a rounded cap popular with some African American Muslims--on base and came to like being a "cultural translator" for both sides.

"As a Muslim growing up in America, we've been doing that our whole lives anyway," he said.

Muslims in military seek a bridge between worlds

I was looking for a site where both Nidal Hasan and Anti-Muslim hate was condemned or criticized in the same breath.

The Right is focusing the debate as liberals blind to danger and Muslim haters alert. Then I see hate toward Islam condemned in the same article suggesting that therapists can get PTSD from listening to their patient’s traumas for too long.

I never heard of anyone calm with PTSD. I could be wrong but it should be explained.

Anyway I in the following links criticized both Hasan and prejudice against Muslims. I wish others would add to my start.

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/14914
http://www.phillyimc.org/en/fort-hood-tragedy-sparks-islamophobic-response#comment-34399
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/author/richardkanepa

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