Posted on 11/07/2009 10:21:56 AM PST by LA Woman3
KILLEEN — Sgt. Fahad Kamal attended prayer services at the Islamic Community of Greater Killeen on Friday just as he has frequently since arriving at Fort Hood seven months ago.
This day, though, the 26-year-old medic, who served in Afghanistan from January 2007 to April 2008, wore his uniform. This day, the devout Muslim from Houston was seeking to strike a far different image than that of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who is accused of shooting 43 people at Fort Hood on Thursday.
Kamal said he had come to the mosque from a gloomy base, where "soldiers aren't really talking about the shootings because we're trying to move on."
He said his first reaction to the news of shootings was "angry embarrassment," and his concerns echoed those of others in the Central Texas Muslim community, who arrived at services in a somber mood.
"I hope people don't make themselves believe that religion has anything to do with what happened," Kamal said.
Kamal is one of about 40 members of Killeen's close-knit Muslim community. When he arrived to pray at the one-story red brick mosque just off Texas 195 on Fort Hood Street, he and dozens of others quietly dodged a crowd of reporters on the otherwise calm stretch of road.
The 40-minute prayer service included a moment of silence and a passionate condemnation of the shootings from Dr. Manzoor Farooqi, president of the mosque, who called the action a "shameless attack."
Farooqi, who has led the mosque for 12 years, said that he knew Hasan from Ramadan observances but that he had not known him very well.
"When I saw him on television, I thought, 'I can't believe he'd do such a stupid thing,' to be frank," Farooqi said.
"The shootings are devastating and tragic," said Danquah Osman, who is treasurer of the mosque and a liaison between the mosque and Fort Hood. Osman, who has lived in Killeen since 1976, said he served in the Army as a first sergeant for 22 years.
"We're supposed to care for each other in the military," Osman said. "Those victims could have been my sons."
Abdulkarim Hulwe, 45, a retired Army veteran who said he talked to Hasan frequently, said Hasan struck him as a devout but quiet Muslim who tended to go to work early and sometimes prayed at the mosque before work. He said he last saw Hasan at 6:15 a.m. Thursday.
"He just appeared to be an outstanding soldier. He ... always seemed to be on his best behavior," Hulwe said.
As Austin Imam Islam Mossaad said Thursday, when news of the shooting spread, Muslims in Central Texas all hoped that the gunman did not share their faith. But when members of Killeen's Islamic community learned that Hasan had been among them for prayers at Ramadan a couple of months ago, they said it deepened their anxiety that his actions could have a lasting effect on their peace-loving community.
"Islam promotes peace and equality, and violence has nothing to do with that," Kamal said. "I hope that people won't start stereotyping, since that's what people tend to do."
jsanders@statesman.com; 445-3630
Editor's Note: We have disabled commenting on this story because of repeated abuse of our commenting policy related to the Ft. Hood shooting.
I’ve got some bad news for camel. The murders had everything to do with Islam.
Waco's nearby? There's a kooky Christian religious group.. let's take the public's mind off Islam and put together a group of federal guys -- I know, we'll call it Operation Showtime! -- get some military equipment from Ft. Hood and go after this Christian group! They're a dangerous bunch.
Wot? The government and media would never go after a religious group? and that's why the government and the state controlled American media (SCAM) don't want to bring Islam into all this -- yeah, you're right. It was just a thought.
I don’t see that, but I see camel wearing his uniform incorrectly in public.
Almost every war in the world involves at least one Muslim group. And if there’s not a non-muslim group to fight - they fight each other.
So you say, but why is so much violence done for islam, by muslims who are saying/chanting/screaming 'allah akbar!' while shooting people or blowing themselves up? Peace through killing?
That's a good point. Islam is not what I accept as a religion.
On Fox News Channel today, there was a note that the Iman at the
terrorist’s mosque said that the MURDERER was happy when he attended
morning prayers on the day of The Fort Hood Massacre.
Well, DUH!!!!!!!!!
The blood-thirsty B@$tard had given away his personal possessions
(a not-uncommon practice for suicides-to-be), had his guns and ammo
at hand...and knew he was headed for 72 virgins/raisins (depending
on the translations, guffaw!!!!!!!).
I praise Providence for the lady (and any comrades) that neutralized
this Islamic Nutburger...but let him live for a long-term sentence
to prison (and impotent paralysis)!!!!!!!!!
I understand, and agree with other posters that this had everything to do with the shooters religion. Most religions have folks that pervert what was intended. I don’t believe that all Muslims are bad. I also understand why they voice fear in the article. Tensions are running high in Killeen. I had people that I care about on Post that day, and my shock and fear have moved into anger with the shooter and Islam. I just wanted you to know that Dr. Farooqi is, in my opinion, a good man. We are only seeing very short exerpts from their service. This article has really caught me off guard.
Have you seen the picture of Hasan in the 7-11 the morning of the shooting?
The president (allegedly)was a baffled as the rest of the country by the bloody burst of violence.
"We cannot fully know what leads a man to do such a thing," Obama said.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/fort-hood-shooter-maj-nidal-malik-hasan-shot/Story?id=9018559&page=2
THIS IS A LIE.OBAMA KNOWS ALL BOUT ISLAM. HE KNOWS ABOUT THE SECRET PRACTISES OF THE MUJIHADINE. It involves authorization from an Imama who holds its lineage and a secret prayer which is supposed to result in an infusion of supposed divine energy from ALLAH.
Hasans conduct proves that ths jihadist Muslim teachings are now flourishing on US soil.
And they will grow, as Obama wants BTW, which is why he is covering this up. This is why the left is convinced under somme kind of pall of political correctness, THAT THIS IS NOT A RELIGIOUS WAR.
IT IS A RELIGIOUS WAR. TO STOP THEM WE NEED TO ROOT OUT THAT FOUL DEN OF JIHADISTS FANATICS AND END THEIR WORK HERE IN THE USA. Every Imama in the USA knows about these teachings.Yet they whine about how they are a religion of peace.
And the so called peace loving Muslims in America know who the jihadist pratitioners are. They have to turn them in, or we will becomme like Iraq,, like Israel, with suicide bombers killing thousands of us.
Thats the true story.
It needs to be told far and wide.
End the secret jihadist meditative prayer tradition in the USA.
Or kill them all. Thats the way this will play out.Obama prefers the social disorder that would come from their increase.
Obama MUST GO!
“Abdulkarim Hulwe, 45, a retired Army veteran who said he talked to Hasan frequently, said Hasan struck him as a devout but quiet Muslim who tended to go to work early and sometimes prayed at the mosque before work. He said he last saw Hasan at 6:15 a.m. Thursday.
“He just appeared to be an outstanding soldier. He ... always seemed to be on his best behavior,” Hulwe said.”
Saying practically the same thing.
It ticks me off that the media linked Mount Carmel and that loony Vernon Wayne Howell aka David Koresh (there’s another sicko who changed his name for his religion - and no, I wouldn’t call him a Christian). Waco just happens to be the closest big city and that’s where the hundreds of media were able to find hotels. In their stupidity, they refered to the incident as “Waco” instead of “Mount Carmel”. Waco had nothing to do with it but it’s reputation has been blighted by See-BS and the rest.
Did you simply not read the article, then? The 40-minute prayer service included a moment of silence and a passionate condemnation of the shootings from Dr. Manzoor Farooqi, president of the mosque, who called the action a 'shameless attack.'
So I guess you're wrong. Will you admit it?
I choose to judge the person by his deeds, not the group. I can only speak to my experience with Dr. Farooqi who has shown great kindness to me and my child. I will make sure that he knows the next time that I see him that my opinion of him has not changed.
That group has nothing to do with the Obama transition team. It’s a task force that is part of a program at George Washington University in DC. It is a bipartisan group of individuals/organizations with an interest in homeland security. No more/no less. At best, they prsented their findings/suggestions to the new Homeland Security team under Obama’s Administration.
This group was begun in April 2008 (while Obama and Clinton were still battling it out over who would be the Dem nominee). Hasan is listed as a ‘participant’ only, not an organizer, panelist, or any other key position. All Hasan (or anyone) had to do was sign up to attend. And who would have suspected a psychiatrist from Walter Reed would be other than honorable and able to contribute to the deliberations?
Okay - I was wrong.
But now I’m curious, are they going to PUBLICALLY condemn this? Or are they going to do what most Muslim groups do and PUBICALLY condemn the US and our foreign policy? And even go so far as to make themselves the face of US criticism?
It would appear that they already have ... or you wouldn't have read about it.
So it turns out that you weren't actually interested in the correct answer after all... which is about what I expected.
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