November 6, 2009

by Michael Patrick Leahy

UPDATE


8:40 am est

Within minutes of the incident yesterday, the FBI quickly issued a statement saying that the incident was not a terrorist act. The evidence, however, clearly shows that the alleged murderer, Malik Nadal Hasan, was motivated exclusively by his Muslim faith, was quoted by Fox News as yelling "Allahu Akbar!" in Arabic ("God is Great" in English) as he pumped bullets into his victims, had allegedly posted pro Muslim suicide bomber postings on the internet, had been trying to get out of the Army because he vocally opposed the mission in Iraq and Afghanistan, had been given poor performance ratings, and had publicly made "outlandish statements" strongly criticizing American military policy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Malik Nadal Hasan, the 39 year old Army Major who allegedly murdered 13 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood Army base in Texas yesterday, was born in Virginia to a Muslim family, said to be of Jordanian descent. Reports say he graduated from high school in Roanoke, Virginia, and graduated from nearby Virginia Tech in 1997. He went to Medical School in Bethesda, Maryland, and graduated in 2001. He served as a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Hospital for six years, before being recently transferred to Fort Hood in Texas.

In an interview with Fox News, Hasan's cousin said that Malik Nadal Hasan was upset about recent orders that were to deploy him to either Afghanistan or Iraq. He had hired a lawyer, his cousin said, and had been trying to get out of the Army for some time.

A Roanoke, Virginia newspaper reported that Hasan's father emigrated to the United States from Jordan in 1962.He and his Jordanian born wife moved to Vinton, Virginia (near Roanoke) in 1987, where they ran a "dive" restaurant with a bad reputation. Hasan's father died in 1998, and his mother died three years ago.

The Roanoke paper says that Hasan has been a devout Muslim throughout his life.

More details about his background can be found at this Christian Science Monitor article.

Michelle Malkin writes that Malik Nadal Hasan had displayed a pattern of vocal opposition to American Foreign Policy in the Mideast and had an "attitude" towards the Army.

Many major media sources, including MSNBC, played down the alleged murderer's Muslim faith.

President Obama, when informed of the massacre yesterday did not react immediately, but first gave a "shout out" to acknowledge the work of one of his friends in an unrelated project.

Additional background reports here.

Fox News reported the Ft. Hood Suspect Made "Outlandish" Comments Abut US Foreign Policy

Andie Brownlow at American Thinker says Hasan's attacks yesterday may be part of a jihadist strategy to attack easy targets.

The Council on American- Islamic Relations issued this statement about the massacre:

"We condemn this cowardly attack in the strongest terms possible and ask that the perpetrators be punished to the full extent of the law. No religious or political ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence. The attack was particularly heinous in that it targeted the all-volunteer army that protects our nation. American Muslims stand with our fellow citizens in offering both prayers for the victims and sincere condolences to the families of those killed or injured."

More here.

Michael Patrick Leahy is the Publisher of The TCOT Report and the author of Rules for Conservative Radicals

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