Muslim Extremist or Extremist Religion?

The issue is not that Major Hasan was involved in a conspiracy, or that he buried his mother and may have subsequently attended the same Mosque as some of the 9-11 hijackers, or that he shouted Allah Akbar as he fired into the bodies of his fellow soldiers. The question we must answer is does Orthodox Islam condone such acts?

Even a casual read of the Koran will provide a quick answer to that question. It does not; no more than the Bible condoned the Inquisition or the Crusades. “If people are intent on using religion to motivate terror or violence, they’ll find an excuse there [religious writings] no matter what the actual text says,” says David Rodier of American University in Washington, D.C., who is an expert on the world’s religions. Like the Koran, he says, most holy scriptures are filled with stories of war and warriors, and these images have been used throughout history by some members of every faith to justify bloodshed. Quote from National Geographic News, Peter Standring, September 25, 2001

Please don’t misunderstand my words as support for Major Hasan. I find his actions beyond understanding, and would fully support the death penalty for his inhuman acts. At the same time, I fear the impact this tragedy could have on America. When something like this happens, it is easy to transfer the face of the murderer on to the face of the religion or political party the person claimed membership.

We must constantly guard against allowing our grief and anger to transform our tradition of religious tolerance into intolerance, or worse hatred. U.S. Army chief of staff George Casey said this weekend, “It would be a shame – as great a tragedy as this was – it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well,” said.  Read More at New York Daily News

I would add that we have history of letting our fear and anger get the best of us: Alien Sedition Acts of 1789, The Espionage Act of 1917, The Sedition Act of 1918, The Red Scare of 1919 – 1920, Japanese American Internment 1941 – 1945, The McCarthy Era 1950 – 1954… Hopefully we have learned better.

Modus Omnibus in Rebus

President Obama’s Blunder

I watched in horror as the story of the Fort Hood shooting unfolded. The thought that an Army officer could murder his fellow soldiers was unthinkable. After several hours the post commander LTG Robert Cone, a look of disbelief marking his features, recounted the horror that 42 soldiers of his command had experienced. With each mention of their deaths, he seemed to wince. LTG Cone displayed what we have come to expect from the men and women commanding our soldiers – respect, concern, affection, in short leadership.

Shortly after Fort Hood’s commander spoke, the President addressed the nation. He was scheduled to deliver a speech to members of the Department of the Interior. CNN cut from their coverage at the scene in Texas to the presidential podium flanked by the US and Interior Department flags. The President quickly made his way to the podium, cleared his throat, and with a grin playing at the corner of his mouth proceeded to congratulate the assembly on their successful conference, as if there was nothing untoward occurring.

“Any second,” I told myself, “He will assume a reflective, resolute posture and address the tragedy with the reverence and concern it deserves.” Sadly, I was wrong. Instead, the President sent a “shout out” to one of the conference participants, followed by some equally inane comments eliciting laughter from the assembly. Only after the laughter died away did his visage change. He haltingly apologized for abandoning his prepared speech to inform the crowd of the carnage perpetrated against the soldiers at Fort Hood.

Many criticized President Bush for his initial response in the Florida classroom to the 9-11 atrocity, but he at least was dealing with shock. President Obama had time, private time, to absorb the events unfolding at Fort Hood, and had time to plan a proper response; a measured, respectful, reasonable response carefully crafted to assure the American public that the Commander-in-Chief was duly affected by the event.

Because, for whatever reason, the President did not approach this tragedy with the proper gravity, many feel that his casual manner disrespected the fallen. I was deeply disappointed in President Obama’s handling of this matter. There is no greater responsibility given to the President of the United States than his role as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

When Bill Clinton came to the White House, General Colin Powell took him aside and taught him military courtesy – even taught him to salute. Someone needs to do the same with President Obama.

Modus Omnibus in Rebus

Fort Hood Shooting

The recent shooting at Fort Hood, Texas has hit my family hard. We served three assignments at Fort Hood, one each in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. For us Fort Hood will always be a special place. The thought that an officer of the US Army could slaughter soldiers in an act of insanity is beyond my comprehension. Clearly, Major Hasan was insane.

As callous as it sounds, I wish he had died from his wounds. We could then feel some closure and move on. Living, he will only fuel hatred and recriminations toward American Muslims.

Even before the atrocity was fully understood Fox News commentators were probing the “self appointed experts” calling in as if Fox news was a radio talk show. Prior service solders from junior enlisted to a retired colonel called to offer their opinion and expert insight based on assignments to Fort Hood dating back several years.

Bill O’Reilly speculated, while simultaneously warning us not to speculate, that Major Hasan could not have shot so many people acting alone. Later, Hannity spoke with a retired colonel who indicated that Hasan had made statements questioning America’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hannity immediately pounced on the colonel’s words spinning them to mean that Hasan was essentially a domestic terrorist.

Wingnut radio hosts the following morning were equally broad in their definition of the event, calling the murders an act of “domestic terrorism.” (Mike Church, 11/06/2009)  The shock jocks quickly linked President Obama to the event citing his poor handling of his first statement about the shooting. I must say that I was equally disappointed in his lackadaisical approach. (I will have more to say about my appraisal of the President’s performance in a later post.)

What I fear is that this event may be just enough for an anti-Muslim hater to retaliate against someone just as innocent as the soldiers in the Fort Hood shooting. I would argue that the history of religious carnage has more to do with the psychosis of the perpetrators than with the religion itself.

To point to the Koran’s violent passages / teachings is to invite the same level of scrutiny of the Bible. Throughout history, Christian zealots have excused horrific violence claiming they are simply carrying out God’s will. Some examples include, The Inquisitions (1100’s – 1968), Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre (1572), 30 Year War (1618 – 1648), Salem Witch Trials (1692), the Moravian Massacre (1782), Mountain Meadows Massacre (1857), Armenian Genocide (1914 – 1918), Holocaust (1937 – 1945), Catholics versus Protestants – Northern Ireland (1900 – Present Day), Oklahoma City Bombing (1995), Nickel Mines School Shooting (2006).

 Religious zealotry is worrisome generally and dangerous in the extreme. We must guard against assuming a holier-than-thou approach to dealing with tragedies such as the one perpetrated by Major Hasan. We must see it for what it is - the demented action of a psychotic man, who may or may not have a religious reason for his acts. Either way, his actions are no more in keeping with the orthodox teachings of Islam than were the beliefs Christians used to justify the massacres in my list above.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: (Luke 6:35-37).

Modus Omnibus in Rebus