Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

(Informative!) Soldier suspected of deadly grenade attack had California ties
RENO ^ | 3/23/2003 11:30 pm | Associated Press

Posted on 03/24/2003 5:44:49 AM PST by dennisw

Edited on 05/07/2004 7:36:12 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

The soldier being held in a deadly grenade attack on a 101st Airborne Division command center in Kuwait spent much of his youth in California and was described by family and friends Sunday as a brilliant student and mild-mannered practicing Muslim.


(Excerpt) Read more at rgj.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Free Republic; Front Page News; US: California
KEYWORDS: attitude; collegeexperience; insulted; jihadinamerica; minefield; perceivedinsults; sensitivity
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-127 next last
To: Squantos
Thanks for the link. I had no idea there would be so much numeralogy! My eyes glazed over midway through.
81 posted on 03/24/2003 11:36:45 AM PST by myprecious
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
Baton Rouge, La?

Didn't that DC assassin Mohamid live in Baton Rouge, La and visit there several times before his killing spree? Could Baton Rouge, La be a hub for an al Qaeda sleeper cell?

82 posted on 03/24/2003 11:43:30 AM PST by anymouse
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
Looks like a good number of the Muslim students at UC-Davis are sensitive to perceived insults, according to a 2002 article in the campus paper, The Aggie

Introduction to Islam [UC Davis course] sees general, Muslim students enrollment increase

By DAVID GLASSER Aggie Features Writer February 27, 2002 -         In light of a public awakening and newfound interest in the fastest growing religion around the globe — Islam — UC Davis’ Introduction to Islam class hit a record-high class size, with over 80 students enrolled this quarter in the typically small class. Curiously, over half of these students are Muslim.

        According to lecturer Kathleen O’Connor, who has taught this and other Islamic study courses for the past four years, Muslim students take the class “to get a broader understanding of their culture.

        “Non-practicing Muslims want to know where they come from. Practicing Muslims want to get information on their roots,” said O’Connor.

        “I didn’t know anything about the history of my faith,” said first-year student Sana Ali when asked why she was taking a secular class about her religion. “I think that’s what makes it even more interesting.”

        O’Connor said the average Muslim knows what they learn about Islam from their family and religious authorities. Many are unaware of the biographical aspects of Islam.

        “It’s a mutual learning relationship,” O’Connor said. “I teach them about the history and background of their faith, which they don’t know a lot about, and they teach me about the day-to-day life within the faith, which I can’t know as well as they do.”

        There are many issues to be tackled when teaching a secular class on a topic as sensitive and personally important as religion, said O’Connor.

        Many Muslims who take secular classes expect their faith to be attacked and strongly try to rebut any perceived insults against Islam.

        “There are always those who feel that they are defending the faith,” said O’Connor. “I have to be careful as an unbeliever. I still say the hard stuff, but I have to do it in a way without causing too much offense.

        “There’s a weird sort of unspoken code against nonbelievers studying Islam,” she continued. “I got this handicap with students [by] being an nonbeliever.”

        This has been a particular problem in O’Connor’s class, especially when introducing inherently controversial topics such as the place of minority sects and traditions within Islam.

        According to O’Connor, modern Muslims are so used to having their faith insulted by Western culture, stereotypes and traditional approaches to religious studies that they try to present a unified front before those outside of their faith.

        “Some of the students keep quiet of their opinions because they don’t want to show diversity within the religion, because to some of them diversity tends to suggest disunity and weakness,” said O’Connor.

        She said she attempts to combat this tendency by spending as much time dealing with minority groups within Islam as on the mainstream sect.

        “It’s like a minefield, you have to deal with all these concepts at once,” O’Connor said. “I’ve learned it’s just better to bring all the ambiguities into the public for discussion.”

        One student in the Islam class who wished to remain anonymous said that O’Connor “is teaching the class through her eyes” and that “she emphasizes stuff that she feels is important.”

        Another anonymous Muslim student said, “We know better what to concentrate on.” He continued, “We learned from when we were born, [O’Connor] learned it later.”

        Still, many students are supportive of O’Connor and her approach to teaching Islam.

        One female Sufi Muslim student who wished to remain anonymous stated, “I like how she spends time on all the different forms of Islam.” She continued, “I don’t follow the majority religion, and I appreciate the fact that she realizes that there’s more to Islam than just the Sunni tradition.”

        According to O’Connor, many Muslim students go on to take more classes on Islam from her.[excerpt]


83 posted on 03/24/2003 11:58:00 AM PST by syriacus (Cultural Diversity..... Iraqis using WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST...as human shields.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lewislynn
What the f#&k does "had California ties" mean or have to do with anything?

I thought they might have found a link between him and Lacy Peterson.

84 posted on 03/24/2003 12:04:00 PM PST by husky ed (FOX NEWS ALERT "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead" THIS HAS BEEN A FOX NEWS ALERT)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
"Is this a black area of LA? South Central?"

South Central is now Hispanic/black, where before it was mainly black. In any case, that's SC.
85 posted on 03/24/2003 12:48:23 PM PST by lonewacko_dot_com (http://lonewacko.com/blog)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: lonewacko_dot_com
Just to be precise: http://www.tgci.com/fedrgtxt/02-5948.txt says the northern boundary of SC is Slauson, making that 1.5 miles north of SC.
86 posted on 03/24/2003 1:02:47 PM PST by lonewacko_dot_com (http://lonewacko.com/blog)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
Sounds like she was a left leaning fruit to begin with..notice his original middle name--- Mark FIDEL Kools--
87 posted on 03/24/2003 1:08:00 PM PST by glory
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Grampa Dave
This is kools brand of faith. It's not NOI, its the predecessor of NOI.

http://www.masyoungadult.org/events.html
88 posted on 03/24/2003 1:16:01 PM PST by SarahW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Mean Maryjean
Have there been any reports or information about just WHEN he joined the military?

The SacBee reported today that he started UC Davis in 1988 and graduated in 1997 as a ROTC sergeant (not the normal Lt????). He enlisted in the Army 4/15/98 and assigned to the Army Signal Corps. Quickly made sergeant and assigned to the Army's statellite systems operation.

89 posted on 03/24/2003 1:22:55 PM PST by cinFLA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: livius
It's part of the larger, and more orthodox, network of African American mosques known as the American Muslim Mission, which is led by W.D. Muhammad, the son of the black Muslim's founder, Elijah Muhammad.

It has been heavily funded by Saudi money.

Click the link - Its a google cache with highlighted search terms:

http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cache:4DCDYMz62MEC:www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp%3FARTICLE_ID%3D27327+Elijah+Muhammad+Bilal+Islamic+Center+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
90 posted on 03/24/2003 1:23:08 PM PST by SarahW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Grampa Dave
Elijah Muhammed hated the U.S. and celebrated when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor...
91 posted on 03/24/2003 1:40:27 PM PST by SarahW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: Grampa Dave
Actually ASM is an offshoot of the original NOI founded by Elijah Muhammed.

Although considered less extreme than Farrakahns present-day NOI, many of the mosques have been heavily funded by Saudi's, and there has been a turn to fundamentalism.
92 posted on 03/24/2003 1:44:49 PM PST by SarahW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: SarahW
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and history of these organizations with us.

Please ping me when give a history lesson in the future.
93 posted on 03/24/2003 3:35:53 PM PST by Grampa Dave (Stamp out Freepathons! Stop being a Freep Loader! Become a monthly donor!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 88 | View Replies]

To: SarahW; swarthyguy
Elijah Muhammed hated the U.S. and celebrated when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor...

Thanks for this tidbit. He and his group was probably worked on by the Japanese Embassy spies and other Japanese enemies before Pearl Harbor day.
94 posted on 03/24/2003 3:38:38 PM PST by Grampa Dave (Stamp out Freepathons! Stop being a Freep Loader! Become a monthly donor!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: Grampa Dave
Question is for now, will others in the US military be inspired by this? I'm sure a thorough vetting of certain individuals will be forthcoming. At least I hope so.
95 posted on 03/24/2003 3:56:05 PM PST by swarthyguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
He will be a lifer. That's all JAG is going to get. (maybe)
96 posted on 03/24/2003 3:58:57 PM PST by FloridaBoy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
Muslim Student Assoc., California State University
97 posted on 03/24/2003 4:01:52 PM PST by kcvl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: randita
I have another concern.
I expressed it on another thread, but as I keep having to go watch the maple syrup brewing, I didn't get back for a reply.
Just tinfoiling, maybe, but one of the first copters that crashed had a fella with a muslim name and it said that he had been in copter maintainance.
With the muslim thingy for crashing things would it be too far out to be concerned about muslims and copters with all the crashes?
98 posted on 03/24/2003 4:16:37 PM PST by MIgramma (FEAR= False Evidence Alleged Real)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: dljordan
That's what I think, too.
Social Promotion Genius
This stuff has got to stop. If our troops cannot trust their 'six', it's all over.
99 posted on 03/24/2003 4:27:58 PM PST by meema
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: Darnright
"...she said she thinks her son has been accused simply because he is a Muslim."

M is for Muslim. That's good enough for me.(Sung to the tune of "The Cookie Monster Song")

100 posted on 03/24/2003 4:30:37 PM PST by semaj
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-127 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson