Well said, many of you! As a service-connected, disabled-retired Army vet, I understand and empathize with the dead, wounded
and their families!!! Prayers to all!!!
Being from the Lebanon era of service, I also have experience with Islamic radicalism. While I don't know what the deal was with Major Hassan, no matter what his motivation I have nothing but contempt for his cowardly and despicable acts!!! There must be a special place in Hell for such evil %$&#@s!!
I DO know not all Muslims are militant, and there needs to always be a distinction made. For those of you not familiar with the religion, allow me to point out how studying the Quran will demonstrate dramatically the difference between 'extremist' Muslims and 'tolerant' Muslims.
Muhammad wrote the first part of the Quran while in Mecca. He spent some thirteen years there, his writings characterized by tolerance, spirituality and exhortations to lead good lives. He lived a life of prayer, fasting and worship; never mentioning "jihad", he espoused peaceful coexistence with Jews and Christians. He basically had to leave Mecca when he encountered opposition to his negative views on the idolatry of the Kaaba.
He said Allah told him to relocate and he took his 150 or so followers to Medina. In Medina, Muhammad began to build an army, and as his power increased, his message began to change. His writings became increasingly militant and he began to express intolerance for opposing beliefs and conversion at sword point. He began to follow a revelation of jihad and even led some twenty-seven military attacks on 'infidels'.
So for the first part of his adult life, Muhammad was a preacher (610-622). In the second half, he became a violent extremist (622-632).
Now the Quran is not arranged chronologically, rather, the longest verses (suras) are placed first. Out of the 114 suras composing the Quran, 90 were written while in Mecca, and the other 24 in Medina. Militant extremists say that "later" revelations 'replace' earlier ones, so basically Allah "changed his mind' and annulled the earlier 'tolerant' suras, supplanting them with ones that say to "slay the idolaters....." and "fight against those....who believe not in Allah....". Muhammad confirmed this in the Hadith, where he said he was "ordered" by Allah "to fight the people until they say: 'None has the right to be worshiped but Allah' ." This abrogation of older suras I believe is referred to as "Nasikh".
Non-extremists put emphasis on the Mecca writings of Muhammad, and radicals concentrate on the Medina 'revelations'.
So basically, when he was weak and not very popular, he was okay with other beliefs. But when he obtained power and support, he became violently intolerant. There are only two "Abodes" to radical Muslims; Dar al Islam and Dar al Harb (war).
If you aren't under Muslim control, you are at war. So it's either convert or die. There is no other option. Allah's will is to be forced upon humanity if not freely accepted. And the conflict is the infidel's fault because of the immoral and disordered nature of non-Islamic controlled society.
Interestingly enough, "belief" is not the primary consideration to Extremist Muslims, "behavior" is. If you do what you are supposed to as a Muslim, that is what's important.
And anything Extremists do is "Allah's will", and is automatically "ethical". Anything that disagrees with or disobeys "Allah's will" is unethical. Extremists want to wipe all nonextremist-Muslims off the face of the earth, and they don't care about giving non-Muslims a chance to convert and avoid "Hell".
Non-extremist Muslims put emphasis on the Mecca revelations and respect the sacredness of life, security, and peace. They believe Islamic 'rules of war' prohibit targeting civilians/non-combatants and suicide is prohibited because no-one but God has the right to take the life he has given. They believe you fight only in self-defense.
I have a good friend who is a Muslim, and terrorism is as abhorrent to him as it is to me! We don't agree on the 'change' in Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, but we absolutely agree that he didn't advocate terrorism and "haraba"...............
