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

Skip to comments.

Attitude Problem? (Muslim soldiers family blames racism for grendate attack)
ABCNews ^ | March 25, 2003

Posted on 03/26/2003 6:23:25 PM PST by Michael2001

March 25 — U.S. Army Sgt. Asan Akbar, the soldier being detained in connection with a grenade attack on his fellow soldiers, told his family members that he encountered racism as an African-American and a Muslim in the armed services.

His stepfather, William Bilal, who was once married to Akbar's mother, Quran Bilal, said that his stepson was resentful toward the military and had complained several years ago that it was difficult for a black man "to make rank" in the military. "Asan was pushed to this. We've got that clear," William Bilal told WBRZ, ABCNEWS' affiliate in Baton Rouge, La. "Everybody's got a breaking point, to put it that way. Everybody's got a breaking point. If he did this, he was driven."

On ABCNEWS' Good Morning America, Bilal expressed a toned down version of his previous statements, saying that Akbar was likely misunderstood.

"All I'm saying is that Islam has been misrepresented, and a lot of people don't understand the religion of Islam," Bilal said. "And the problem is, the stereotyping and the discrimination, I can't say exactly, directly, if that was Asan's case," he said.

Now, the 31-year-old soldier is in custody for an alleged grenade attack Sunday that killed one and wounded 15 others in the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait. He has not been charged with a crime, but Akbar was the only person being questioned in the attack, George Heath, a civilian spokesman at Fort Campbell in Kentucky said. Three grenades were allegedly thrown into three separate tents.

According to the Los Angeles Times, soldiers who witnessed Akbar's arrest said that Akbar yelled out: "You guys are coming into our countries, and you're going to rape our women and kill our children."

Akbar, part of the division's 326th Engineer Battalion, recently had some problems with his battalion, Heath said.

"He was having what some people might call it seems an attitude problem," Heath said.

Akbar's brother, Ismail Bilal, who recently obtained an early discharge from the Air Force, said he was shocked when he heard that his brother was accused in the attack. "It was too many emotions involved to pinpoint one emotion, how I felt at the time, you know? Because it was like a melting pot of emotions," Bilal said. He said his older brother, Akbar, seemed fine when he spoke with him one month ago.

"He just spoke just like any other soldier, you know, going overseas. 'Man, we about to go overseas and about to spend all this time over there.' You know, just the same way every soldier feels when he get deployed," Bilal said.

Officials have not released any motive in the attack, but said Akbar will be brought back to Fort Campbell for judicial proceedings, and that the Army could seek the death penalty.

Neighbors Say Akbar Was Quiet

News of the incident shocked Akbar's neighbors back home in the small military town of Clarksville, Tenn., who described him as a mild-mannered man who didn't drink or swear.

Akbar proudly wore his uniform, even when he was off duty, said neighbor Willie Shannell Jr., who spoke to Akbar shortly before he was deployed.

"There was no resentment at all. I don't want to go, you know, I'm going to run," Shannell said. "No. Zero."

Another neighbor agreed that Akbar was no troublemaker.

"I was shocked really because he was one of the quietest ones in the neighborhood, he kept to himself and you wouldn't expect anything like that from him at all," said Heather Dill.

Akbar is originally from California, where he lived for some time with his mother and sisters in Merino County. He was born Mark Kools, but his mother changed his name after she remarried when he was a boy. He attended Locke High School in the heart of Los Angeles, and school sources say he was a model student with a 3.6 grade point average.

He was raised Muslim and Akbar and his family attended the Bilal Islamic Center, across the street from their family home before he moved to Tennessee for the military.

His mother said she changed his name to Asan Akbar after she remarried when he was a young boy. In some public records, the first name is spelled Hasan.

His mosque's leader says Akbar's actions are a puzzling contradiction to the messages he learned at the mosque as a boy.

"We don't tell them not to join the Army because they might run into a problem with another Muslim country," said Abdul Karim Hasan. "That's just the way it is. That's what armed forces are trained to do. They are trained to fight."

Meanwhile, U.S. troops preparing to fight an outside enemy are now grappling with the reality of an attack, possibly by one of their own.

"When someone is firing at you, you know who the enemy is," Heath said. "But when they're standing in the same chow line or using the same shower as you, it's had a detrimental effect probably on the morale."


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 101stattack; asanakbar; blackmuslims; militaryfamilies
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-113 next last
So this is the excuse for murdering soldiers with the same uniform? I guess that's a better excuse than "Allah made me do it". Regardless I hope they hang him
1 posted on 03/26/2003 6:23:26 PM PST by Michael2001
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
Well, I guess he kindof validated a bit of the alledged Muslim discrimination didn't he? - He certainly didn't help the case of Muslims at all.
2 posted on 03/26/2003 6:25:46 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
Why is he still alive? This is wartime; his body should be in a latrine by now.
3 posted on 03/26/2003 6:26:04 PM PST by maro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
"Grendate"? can I be the first to crack a joke about this?
:)))
4 posted on 03/26/2003 6:26:41 PM PST by TexasBarak
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
"complained several years ago that it was difficult for a black man "to make rank"

We obviously should have given him four or five stars and access to nukes. </sarcasm

5 posted on 03/26/2003 6:26:55 PM PST by SENTINEL (Active participant in the animating contest of freedom !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
He was born Mark Kools, but his mother changed his name after she remarried when he was a boy.

Isn't that cute. The original stories a few days ago had the identical sentence, only it read, "He was born Mark Fidel Kools, but his mother changed his name after she remarried when he was a boy."

6 posted on 03/26/2003 6:27:24 PM PST by Starrgaizr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
Ouch, play the race card, that low even for a muslime. I wonder what the (unsure of rank) officer who gives the press breifings has to say about it being hard for a black man to move up. ( p.s. my old man spent 21 in the A.F. and only made tech.) It can be hard for us whiteys,too.
7 posted on 03/26/2003 6:28:34 PM PST by pipecorp
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
Traitor kills two with a grenade.

Women and minorities affected most.

8 posted on 03/26/2003 6:29:20 PM PST by avg_freeper (Gunga galunga. Gunga, gunga galunga)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
A victim!
9 posted on 03/26/2003 6:30:31 PM PST by MonroeDNA (An American Black Muslim traitor, acting on his religeous beliefs, tried to take out the top brass)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexasBarak
I thought it was a Gatorade attack?!?
10 posted on 03/26/2003 6:31:01 PM PST by 69ConvertibleFirebird (Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
WTF? The Father is saying that OTHER soldiers were his son's enemies?????? What a friggin outrage!
11 posted on 03/26/2003 6:31:02 PM PST by Alas Babylon!
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
They are telling the truth...a black man can't make any rank in the service and it pisses them all off...that's why these racist grenade attacks occur every day in the service! Oh yeah, except for that black guy general giving briefings every day and that other black guy former gereral who is Sec. State., whatever!
12 posted on 03/26/2003 6:31:36 PM PST by SoggyBottomBoy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
I smell a Johnnie Cochran.
13 posted on 03/26/2003 6:32:29 PM PST by DD938 (God Bless America & Great Britian ( an old Navy veteran))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pipecorp
"All I'm saying is that Islam Dangerous Quasi-religious Radical Political Movement has been misrepresented, and a lot of people don't understand the religion of Islam Dangerous Quasi-Religious Radical Political Movement," Bilal said. /doublespeak filter
14 posted on 03/26/2003 6:32:30 PM PST by Wormwood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
Looks like whoever discriminated against him was 100% correct. Good discernment by his superiors.
15 posted on 03/26/2003 6:33:45 PM PST by mrfixit514
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
Blame-America-First types.

Right now my patriotism is at its peak, so I will self-censor my post.

16 posted on 03/26/2003 6:34:44 PM PST by george wythe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
He kill two white christian men. Who is the racist here?
17 posted on 03/26/2003 6:34:47 PM PST by w1andsodidwe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael2001
This inevitable "victim" rant makes me want to scream. Meanwhile, last night on Dateline the family of the woman captured by Iraqis and paraded on TV conducted themselves with real dignity and honor. They are a black family that moved here from Panama, the father is a Gulf I vet, the mother works for the Army at Fort Bliss, and the sister is an Army Captain. They said their captured daughter was a religious girl who worked as a cook in the service. She was NOT interested in trying to get out of being sent to Iraq. Not even a hint of racism! They are all proud to be an American service family.

Akbar and his revolting tribe can go suck rocks. And Akbar MUST face a firing squad or a noose, the sooner the better. Racism didn't stop him from getting two college degrees...he's totally responsible for his heinous crimes.

18 posted on 03/26/2003 6:34:49 PM PST by PoisedWoman (Fed up with the liberal media)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DD938
This is total BS,,They should have shot him in the field.
19 posted on 03/26/2003 6:35:10 PM PST by The PeteMan (Go to Hell Cronkite!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

Comment #20 Removed by Moderator


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-113 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