On Nov. 5, the nation was gripped with horror as a vicious rampage left 13 dead and over 30 wounded at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. The alleged killer, Major Nidal Malik Hassan, now lies paralyzed in a hospital as police try to uncover the rationale behind this cold-blooded massacre. As more evidence emerges, it is becoming apparent that Hassan was spurred by his Islamic faith, driven to defend his ideology against what he believed was the enemy. However, it is important not to associate the teachings of Islam with Hassan's convoluted, radical beliefs.
"Allahu Akbar!" God is great. That's what Hassan allegedly screamed before beginning his violent attack on the Fort Hood compound. His war cry draws eerie parallels to a scene you might see straight off CNN or BBC, featuring terrorists toting heavy munitions or making radical death threats to their enemies. And that's the key word: Radical, a perfect description of Hassan. Hassan called himself a Muslim and was notorious throughout his professional life as "clearly espousing Islamist ideology," said a former medical school classmate. According to CNN, ongoing investigations have discovered that Hassan frequently gave PowerPoint discussions that focused on justifying suicide bombings and condemning what he saw as a United States' war on Islam, not just a war on terror or oppression. And in the preceding days before his rampage, Hassan began saying his good-byes as if leaving for war, but even more significantly, passed out several copies of the Qur'an to both neighbors and strangers alike. However, Hassan's personal ideology and interpretation of Islam are completely and totally at odds with the actual teachings of the religion. Islam is first and foremost a faith of peace and forbids bloodshed or the direct taking of another's life, with no exception. A large misconception of Islam comes from the notion of jihad. How many times have you heard about Osama Bin Laden's "jihad" in American and the West? Everywhere you look another psycho terrorist clutching an AK-47 seems to be launching their own personal jihad towards anything that offends them. But actually, the concept of jihad gives absolutely no support to terrorism. According to the Qur'an, jihad is a "striving of the soul for the way of Allah." It is basically striving to become a better Muslim while avoiding all obstacles. This striving does not mean engaging in cowardly guerilla warfare or mass-murdering 13 of your fellow soldiers on your own base, but rather defending yourself and your belief in the presence of one who poses a distinct threat to you, your family, and your faith. Hassan's attack did not serve to defend himself, his family, or the integrity of his faith, despite what he may have thought his actions represented.
The united Muslim community itself has expressed outrage towards Hassan's actions and his association with Islam. In Michigan, several imams have gathered to call for the maximum punishment possible for Hassan, claiming that his actions were not Islamic. The imams also condemned the radical Yemeni preacher Ankar Al-Awlaki who praised Hassan's actions and who actually had preached at a mosque that Hassan frequented. These imams symbolize the growing frustration that the peaceful majority of Muslims feel towards radical minority who twist the faith for their own personal gain. Ever since 9/11, Muslims have had to deal with increased resentment thanks to terrorism. And since Islam is not a religion that is very well understood by most Americans, it is easier to stereotype and generalize the entire faith. Unfortunately, many of the most prominent acts of violence you see in the news or read about online seem to be linked to some form of Islamic terrorist group. Each one of these victories for the radical minority is a defeat for the peaceful majority, as public resentment toward Muslims grows.
Ultimately, the actions of radical extremists such as Hassan have a perverse effect on the reputation of Muslims around the world. I, for one, am sick of hearing every Muslim branded as a "terrorist" who hates America. Islam is a religion of peace. Extremists like Hassan, no matter what their purported intentions, do no represent the face of Islam.
Danny Di Giulio's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at d.digiulio@cavalierdaily.com.
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