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November 6, 2009

Our Soldiers of Islam

By Michael Shaw

Islamic soldier.jpg

It’s not often I say this, but this photo by Dallas Morning News photographer Sonya N. Hebert offers a powerful, important and very timely contribution following Maj. Nidal Hasan’s Ft. Hood killing spree.

The photo shows Sgt. Fahad Kamal of Houston praying today during Friday prayer services at the Islamic Community of Greater Killeen — the same center where Maj. Hasan attended prayer services before beginning his rampage.

I couldn’t think of a more eloquent picture — one we can very much use right now — actively demonstrating both joint allegiance and uniform devotion.

(image: via AP)

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  • http://profile.typepad.com/6p00e5523476cc8834 DennisQ

    It needs to be said that crazy violence is Fort Hood’s main product. Sounds like one of their human time bombs detonated prematurely. If Major Hasan had done the same thing in an Afghan village, we wouldn’t even hear about it.
    The Army needs to explain its refusal to release people on grounds of conscience. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq aren’t about anything that’s important to us. If anything, we’re puzzled about what these wars really are about.
    I’m incredulous when I watch the evening news, as one spokesperson after another laments, “How can anybody do such a thing? They don’t ask questions like that about the hundreds of thousands of victims of American violence.
    The underlying reality is that the all-American kids who died in the Fort Hood tragedy are not innocent. They’re part of the American war effort – for which America refuses to accept responsibility.
    Here’s E.E. Cummings:
    Buffalo Bill’s
    defunct
    who used to
    ride a watersmooth-silver
    stallion
    and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat
    Jesus
    he was a handsome man
    and what i want to know is
    how do you like your blueeyed boy
    Mister Death

  • http://profile.typepad.com/6p01157029e8de970c www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawl0065ic8XXkG-J3QiNmqjbZ7InwjnXguI

    In the photo above, Sgt. Kamal is wearing a combat patch from the 82nd Airborne Division, which indicates he has already deployed to a combat zone while assigned or attached to the 82nd. I can’t begin to imagine what it is like for American soldiers who are also practicing Muslims, to operate in such a climate of fear and suspicion. To paraphrase WEB DuBois, I can’t imagine what it’s like being “an American, a [Muslim] . . . two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder” (The Souls of Black Folk, pp. 5)

  • bystander

    That image can be supported with these:

    Here are some images everybody should keep in mind today…

  • Nemo

    Most Muslims do not agree with Al Qaida and the Al Qaida wannabe’s.
    But at the same time there has to be some dissonance for a practicing Muslim serving in the US Armed forces.
    Just imagine what it would be like to be a practicing Christian serving in a Muslim country’s army and having to listen to stuff; occupying a mostly CHristain country and know about how badly Christians were being treated. A practicing Christian is going to be affected.
    You can’t excuse what he did, but I bet his head was a pressure cooker.
    War, especially the way the US forces fight – no one brings to the field the destructive capabilities of the US army in full flight – is ultimately a self-defeating strategy. It harms its own soldiers just as much the so-called enemy.

  • http://justbetweenstrangers.blogspot.com/ acm

    This is just a totally great image in all regards. Great to see it out there…

  • http://www.goldenduas.com ibrahimali

    PLEASE DOWNLOAD FROM WEBSITE http://WWW.naveeth.0fees.net RELATING TO GOLDEN DUAS FROM HOLY QURAN FOR, PEACE, SECURITY, HEALTH AND WEALTH FOR MANKIND. THE SAME MAY BE DISTRIBUTED TO ALL FAMILY MEMBERS, RELATIVES & FRIENDS WHO ARE RESIDING ALL OVER THE WORLD AS PER THE ORDER, GUIDANCE AND DIRECTIONS OF OUR LORD BASED ON THE HOLY QURAN VERSES 2:2, 10:57, 17:11,16 & 39:55&57,65:8
    WITH KIND REGARDS
    U.IBRAHIM ALI
    SOCIAL WORKER

  • 123

    If he didn’t like wars and fighting he shouldn’t have joined the military. Instead he just showed that he is a criminal based on his religious beliefs.

  • http://www.faithofmuslims.com/blog/ islam

    This is just a totally great image in all regards. Great to see it out there…

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