Posted on 04/17/2007 10:44:53 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
According to some reports, Cho Seung-Hui, the man suspected in the killings at Virginia Tech, may have written Islamic references on himself prior to the shootings:
Sources [said] that the words "ISMAIL AX" were also found written in red ink on the inside of one of Cho's arms.
The reference may be to the Islamic account of the Biblical sacrifice of Abraham, where God commands the patriarch to sacrifice his own son. Abraham begins to comply, but God intervenes at the last moment to save the boy.
In the Jewish and Christian traditions, the son is Isaac, father of the Jewish people; in Islam, it is his brother, Ismail (Ishmael in Hebrew).
Abraham uses a knife in most versions of the story, but some accounts have him wielding an ax.
A more obscure reference may be to a passage in the Koran referring to Abraham's destruction of pagan idols; in some accounts, he uses an ax to do so.
(Excerpt) Read more at federalreview.com ...
bttt
sounds like it!
Hmmmmmm - we will be talking about this for years...
Wake up America.
I’m starting to see a lot of blogs pop up with the speculation that Ismail Ax is actually referring to a on-line game nickname, something from WoW (World of Warcraft.)
I think Moby Dick is a good guess, too.
Until more of the letter is released, I don’t think we’ll know.
BUMP
Maybe he was cribbing notes on his arm for a test in ebonics.
"He was very quiet, always by himself," neighbor Abdul Shash said. Shash said Cho spent a lot of his free time playing basketball and would not respond if someone greeted him. He described the family as quiet.
I would say that he was familiar with the Koranic version of the life of Ibrahim. In it Ibrahim uses an axe to destroy the false idols that the people are worshipping.
Apparently the killer felt that the VT students were degenerate. In killing them he was, perhaps, merely acting to 'cleanse' the world of falsity in the same way Ibrahim had. Only he did not see himself as the active agent, but only as the tool. The axe, not the wielder of the axe.
I got this off a web site with Islamic stories on it Ibrahim confronts his people and rejects their idols
He left his father after he lost hope to convert him to the right path, and directed his efforts towards the people of the town, but they rejected his call and threatened him. By Allah, he said, I shall plot a plan to destroy their idols. He knew that a big celebration was coming soon, where everybody would leave town for a big feast on the riverbank.
After making sure that nobody was left in town, Ibrahim went towards the temple armed with an ax. Statues of all shapes and sizes were sitting there adorned with decorations. Plates of food were offered to them, but the food was untouched. "Well, why don't you eat? The food is getting cold." He said to the statues, joking; then with his ax he destroyed all the statues except one, the biggest of them. He hung the ax around its neck and left.
How big was the shock when the people entered the temple! They gathered inside watching in awe their gods broken in pieces. They wondered who might have done this? Then they all remembered that the young Ibrahim was talking evil of their idols.
They brought him to the temple and asked him: "Are you the one who has done this to our gods?" Ibrahim said: "No, this statue, the biggest of them has done it. Ask them if they can speak." "You know well that these idols don't speak!" They said impatiently. "Then how come you worship things that can neither speak nor see, nor even fend for themselves? Have you lost your minds?"
They kept silent for a while, for he got a point there. Their minds and their senses were telling them that the Truth is with Ibrahim, but their pride prevented them to accept it, and reject the idols they were worshipping for generations. This they thought would be total defeat. They started yelling at him and shouting: "Burn him! Burn him! Take revenge for your gods !"
It goes on, God saves Ibrahim from a fire that priests make to burn him for destroying the idols, etc. Amazing. A strong ROP connection after all.
marking
I've read that too. It's either that or TROP.
The article makes it sound like these references are IN ADDITION TO the Ismael Ax reference. If so, I'll put a lot more credibility into the ROP connection.
“I think Moby Dick is a good guess, too.”
No, then’d he’d have written “eskimo.”
(From movie “Heathers.” About a killer in a school.)
They sat on Charles Bishop/Bishra’s Islamic terrorist suicide note for several months before releasing it to the public.
He was the Tampa teen who stole a light plane and crashed it into a bank. We were all told that he was a young conservative who went crazy from his pimple cream.
His 2 page handwritten note is on TheSmokingGun.com.
You said — “The Religion of Peace (TM) Strikes Again?”
It sounds more like a disturbed individual *using* any means that he can find (from whatever source) to support some biases or disturbing thinking that he may have.
I read, elsewhere that he criticized Christians. I think he said something about hypocrisy or something like that.
So, this is more like someone jumping on *any bandwagon* at all. He was apparently using a scatter-gun approach in his thinking, criticizing all sorts of things.
It would be straining at a knat to put this one on Islam, and not on his own disturbed head...
Regards,
Star Traveler
P.S. — And I am no defender of Islam, at all, attacking it at every turn, here on this board. It’s just that the evidence for the evil of Islam is so great, I don’t have to stoop to mentally disturbed people to support the claim for the evil nature of Islam.
I did a search on “Ismail” and “ax”, dug around a bit, and found this. It is from a book called “Hajj” by Dr. Ali Shariati. It relates Ibrahim’s destruction of idols, and there is a line that refers to taking an axe and “sacrficing your Ismail.” I don’t know if this is allegorical and meant to refer to spiritual struggle, or whether it is something that is encourage to be acted upon in the world. Here also is one of the chapters:
The Battle Front
“God is Great”, how meaningful! The army has arrived; all have arms (pebbles) in their hands and are ready to fire. When you reach the first idol, do not shoot - but pass by. When you reach the second idol, do not shoot but pass by. When you reach the third idol, do not pass by, but shoot!Why? Those wise and experienced teachers usually tell us to quietly and gradually take turns in a sequential way but here Ibrahim is the Commander and orders:
“SHOOT THE LAST ONE IN YOUR FIRST ATTACK”! “DID YOU SHOOT?” “YES” “HOW MANY TIMES?” “SEVEN!” “ARE YOU SURE THEY HIT THE TARGET?” “I AM SURE.” “DID YOU HIT THE BELLY OR THE LEGS?” “NONE!” “DID YOU HIT HIS BACK?” “NO.” “DID YOU HIT HIS HEAD AND FACE?” “YES, I DID.” “WELL DONE!”
The fight is over. When the last idol falls, the first and second ones can not resist. The last idol supports the other two. After leaving the front, you have nothing more to do except make the sacrifice Then you may announce and celebrate your victory! Take off your ihram put on your desired clothing, cut your hair, use perfume if you want and embrace your spouse. You are free now! You are a man! Mina is conquered by you and Satan is defeated. What am I saying? You are Ibrahim now! You are in the position to sacrifice your Ismail for Him.
http://www.al-islam.org/hajj/shariati/21.htm
* * * * *
Maybe a stretch and maybe coincidental. Maybe not.
In the Wikipedia article on Shariati, there is a link to another article, “Ali Shariati, Islamic Fundamentalist, Marxist Ideologue, and Sufi Mystic.”
In my own opinion it’s way too early to have an answer on what motivated this killer. So I offer this FWIW.
bump
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