Tag Archives: nidal malik hasan

Hasan Fined by Military Court for Religious Beard

Accused Fort Hood shooter US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan — yes, he is still in the US Army — has been fined by his military judge for refusing to shave.  Hasan is required to abide by military dress and personal appearance regulations, which generally prohibit beards.  (As noted earlier, beards are also prohibited in the militaries of some predominantly Islamic countries.)

Beards are a violation of Army regulations. Hasan’s attorneys say he keeps declining to shave because he believes that doing so would violate his Muslim faith.  Read more

Kitten Killer Gets Jail, but Military Files No Charges in Child’s Death

A former US Marine accused of wringing a kitten’s neck received 30 days in jail from a civil circuit judge:

Circuit Judge Thomas Forehand…found Angelo Michael Stango, 27, guilty Friday of misdemeanor animal cruelty and sentenced him to a year with 11 months suspended.

Violence against the cute and cuddly is punishable (though, oddly enough, there was apparently no body to prove the cat was actually dead).  There will certainly be some who claim the former Marine Sergeant should have received a harsher punishment.

As an interesting comparison, the US military has apparently chosen not to charge US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan with killing the unborn child of one of his (alleged) victims, US Army Pvt Francheska Velez.  Stango’s kitten killing was tried in civil court — notably, there is no UCMJ article specifically addressing animal cruelty.

There is a UCMJ article specifically addressing killing an unborn child:  Read more

Muslim Soldier Convicted of Bomb Plot will Represent Himself

PFC Naser Abdo, the US Army Soldier convicted of plotting and preparing to kill his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, will represent himself during his sentencing on August 10th.

Army Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo told U.S. District Judge Walter Smith during a Thursday hearing in Waco, Texas, that he and his attorneys weren’t communicating effectively. Smith granted Abdo’s request to represent himself at his Aug. 10 sentencing.

Abdo was an approved conscientious objector under investigation for child pornography when he went AWOL, planned a high profile execution at Fort Campbell, and then traveled to Fort Hood to emulate his apparent hero, US Army Major Nidal Hasan.

Guilty Plea in Plot to Fly Remote Plane into Pentagon

Rezwan Ferdaus, planner of one of 12 terrorist plots against the US military by people apparently motivated by their Islamic faith, pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up the Pentagon by flying a remote controlled airplane into it laden with explosives.

Under a plea agreement, federal prosecutors agreed to drop four other charges. Prosecutors and Ferdaus’ lawyers also agreed to jointly recommend a 17-year prison term…

Siegmann said there were two main parts of his plan: to blow up the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using remote-controlled planes and to kill American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan using improvised explosive devices detonated Read more

More than 100 Islamic Insider Threats to US Military Investigated

According to an NPR report repeated at the Stars and Stripes, the FBI has investigated more than 100 suspected Islamic extremists “within the US military community:”

About a dozen of the cases were considered serious, according to the report…

The suspects were those who allegedly demonstrated a strong intent to attack military targets…
 
Officials said the suspects could be active and reserve military Read more

Beard Controversy Continues in Fort Hood Shooter Case

US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan was kicked out of the courtroom again for wearing a beard in violation of military grooming standards.  The issues of accommodation were already discussed, but this exchange was particularly interesting:

Lead defense attorney Lt. Col. Kris Poppe told the judge that Hasan grew the beard as a “deeply sincere” expression of his faith…

“I’ll wait for him to shave if he wants to come back in here,” [Judge Col Gregory] Gross told Hasan’s attorneys. “He has a choice.”

[Attorney LtCol Kris] Poppe responded that it was a choice to “to obey you or his religious faith.”  Read more

Hasan Fort Hood Trial Delayed over Beard

US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan’s trial over murder charges stemming from the 2009 Fort Hood massacre was delayed — again — when Hasan showed up to court with a beard.  He is still considered a member of the military and is required to maintain military standards of uniform wear.

Judge Col. Gregory Gross ordered the motions delayed “until the near future,” when Hasan meets Army grooming standards or Read more

US Muslim Soldier on Perceptions

While many articles about members of the US military make reference to their faith, there aren’t too many written by the DoD for the sole purpose of highlighting their faith.  By contrast, Army Staff Sgt Muna Nur was recently the focus of just such an article, noting her efforts in the US military to overcome “preconceptions” about her Islamic faith.

Another of her striking aspects is the fact that she is a proud Muslim, a trait that has Read more

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