Ishmael's Axe

http://external.oneonta.edu/cooper/articles/suny/2001suny-pikus.html ^

[mnehring]

Phonetic spelling if he heard the phrase instead of reading it.

[alnick]

From what I’ve heard recently, that was misreported. Comments on what was on his arm and the note got bungled together..

Oh. Well, that wouldn't surprise me.

[ScreamingFist]

Check out Eldarossell’s slide show....

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Are people really so skeptical of the possibility that a sympathy with Islam (especially since he apparently rails on in his note about degeneracy and materialism) figured into at least part of Cho’s motivation, that they are now seriously trying to suggest that James Fenimore Cooper or Herman Melville was the motivation for the words he had written on his arm prior to going and committing mass murder? Absurdly far-fetched, IMO.

[Veto!]

Ramadan, or Fasting and Humiliation, was to continue all day, I did not choose to disturb him till towards night-fall; for I cherish the greatest respect towards everybody’s religious obligations, ............... I say, we good Presbyterian Christians should be charitable in these things, and not fancy ourselves so vastly superior to other mortals, pagans and what not,

Chills down my spine! Add the Arabic spelling Ismail and you get quite a message.

[null and void]

A link to the world’s most populous islamic country? Just damm.

[GOP_1900AD]

Another variant - Izmayil. There are additional variants.

[Samwise]

To the contrary of other posters, I don’t think this means he is NOT islamic.

You are right. The two meanings and spellings are not mutually exclusive. English majors and creative writing majors love puns and double meanings. It all fits. Actually, it's clever. Evil, but still clever.

[ScreamingFist]

Well done, the dude in the slide show.....I think that’s Cho...the shooter.....

[BurbankKarl]

3254: AMERICAN LITERATURE BEFORE 1900
This course presents American literature from before 1900 in its representative modes and defining contexts, including colonization, the founding of the republic, the Civil War, the settlement of the west, American Romanticism, and American Realism. Specific authors and texts will vary, but will include poetry and fictional and non-fictional prose. Pre: 1106 or H1204 or COMM 1016. (3H,3C)

I think you are correct!

[mutley]

Check out Eldarossell’s slide show....

Interesting. It seems that "Ismail" is a name he used, because his real name is hard for some to pronounce. At least, that's what he told her, and is stated there.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

good find

[Capt. Tom]

If he was an English major, why would he spell Ishmael as Ismail?

Ismail Haniya was a relatively unknown figure until he headed the Hamas list that won the Palestinian legislative election of January 2006.

[JewishRighter]

I don’t think its him for a few reasons: No glasses in his published pic. Head looks too elongated: guy in the published pic is very rounded/squarish. Pics in the Flickr members whole thread appear to be taken in Southeast Asia somewhere and the perp resided in VA (obviously, he could have been visiting, which would make it very interesting, especially if it was Indonesia, a country of close to 200 million Muslims and home of Jama’a al Islamia). Perp described as a dour character: this guy looks like a happy chap.

I know none of my analysis alone is conclusive or even especially strong but, added together, I don’t think this is the same person. Could be wrong, but that never happens to me /s.

[Paperdoll]

>Well, it doesn’t mean his tattoo artist majored in English.<

Oh, come on. The guy was a senior - he majored in English - do you think he wouldn’t tell his tattoo-ist how he wanted a word spelled? (Of course, the first reports said he was NOT a student, that he WAS Chinese, etc., etc., etc.). This murderous act was not the sudden attack of a madman. It was carefully thought out, to the extreme of deleting the registration number on the weapon(s); the amount of ammo needed to accomplish his mission. The guy lined his victims up execution style, for Heaven’s sake!

[RightCenter]

Why is it far-fetched? He’s known to be an English major, not a Muslim convert. You don’t have to be Muslim to be against degeneracy and materialism. And remember Sirhan Sirhan, Mark David Chapman, John Hinckley, Jr., and the whole connection to The Catcher in the Rye.

You don’t have to be inspired by a religion to kill if you’re a crazy. Sometimes a work of literature would work.

[aCDNinUSA]

You have to wonder why he would use the name “Ismail”? Why not John, or Paul or some other American name that would be easy to pronounce? I think he got involved somehow with a local mosque.

[CrappieLuck]

I’ll also ad some info I got from a friend
_
Ismail, or Ishmael, as spelled in the Bible, was the son born to Abraham and Hagar (Sarah’s maid-servant). The Bible said of Ishamel in Genesis 16:12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” The root of all Islam comes from Ishmael. Muslims actually believe that it was he, Ishmael, and not Isaac, that Abraham was willing to sacrifice to God. They also believe that all their prophets came through him.

I really could not find any alternative meanings for “ax,” other than the obvious, except for this: According to muslim beliefs, Abraham destroyed all the false idols of his people with an ax.

Of course, the Bible teaches that through Abraham, and his son Isaac, the savior of the world came ... Jesus.

I also found this:
Is·ma·i·li (?s’mä-?’l?) Pronunciation Key n. pl. Is·ma·i·lis also Is·ma·i·li·ans - A member of a branch of Shiism that follows a living imam and is noted for esoteric philosophy.

[ScreamingFist]

Lets get a side by side, anyone with graphics?

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Your glasses comment is not correct, as there was a picture of the VATech Cho posted on another thread (from a news article) in which he was wearing glasses.