(RNS) Among the leads investigators are exploring to uncover what motivated Maj. Nidal M. Hasan to kill 13 fellow soldiers last Thursday (Nov. 5) is his apparent worry that serving in the U.S. Army compromised his Muslim faith.
As his deployment to Afghanistan loomed, Hasan faced the possibility of killing innocent Muslims, or at least abetting an army responsible for killing thousands of fellow Muslims.
In a PowerPoint presentation to fellow soldiers in 2007, Hasan theorized that Islam prohibits Muslims from serving in a military force attacking Islamic populations, as he perceived the U.S. military to be doing. To support his argument he cited a verse from the Quran: “And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his punishment is Hell,” according to The Washington Post, which obtained a copy of the presentation.
The solution, Hasan concluded, was for the military to discharge Muslim-American soldiers as conscientious objectors.
In the wake of Thursday’s shooting, a number of leading Muslim-American soldiers and scholars are debating Hasan’s interpretation of Islamic teachings on serving in non-Muslim armies.
More than 3,500 servicemen and servicewomen identify themselves as Muslim, although the actual number is likely higher, observers say.
While no one condones Hasan’s violent actions, some say his military arguments have merit. But others say Hasan misread the Quran, and the U.S. military’s actions.
A wide variety of fatwas and other opinions on this issue are available on the Internet, but Islam’s lack of a centralized authority makes it difficult to say which opinions hold the most sway.
For instance, a number of Muslims in the U.S. military see themselves not as waging war against fellow Muslims, but protecting them from enemies who claim to be Muslim, like the Taliban, al-Qaida, and Saddam Hussein.
Muzammil Siddiqi, an imam in Orange County, Calif., and member of the North American Fiqh Council, which issues rulings on issues of concern to Muslims, said Islam in no way prohibits Muslims from serving in the U.S. or other non-Muslim militaries, and they may even participate in war.
“If the war fought by non-Muslims is a just war, then they can participate,” Siddiqi said. This would include wars fought in self-defense, or fighting against oppressors. “Otherwise, fighting is not allowed.”
When asked how he would counsel a Muslim soldier who asked his guidance on whether serving in Afghanistan or Iraq would compromise his faith, Siddiqi said it was a “difficult question” that depends on many factors. For example, Siddiqi would ask what role the person would have.
Would he be a medic, or a gunman? And what toll would the war take on innocent Muslims? “I would ask him to think about it,” said Siddiqi.
Atif Qarni, a Marine reservist from 1996-2005, saw active duty in Iraq as a platoon leader in 2003. “I didn’t have any hesitation,” Qarni said. He regrets Muslim civilian deaths caused by U.S. forces, but said that the Taliban, al- Qaida and Iraqi insurgents are oppressors who violate Islamic principles, and therefore serving against them is justified. “Even though they claim to be Muslims, they are enemies to Islamic principles,” said Qarni, now a junior high school history teacher in Northern Virginia. “They’re outside the realm of Islam.”
Qarni met a handful of Muslim soldiers during his tenure and said most think along similar lines. One soldier he knew, however, did not want to deploy to Iraq because of concerns about harming Muslims, and requested a hearing for a discharge, which was granted, Qarni said. The soldier didn’t criticize Qarni’s military service though, he recalls.
Ali Jum’ah, a professor of Islamic jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, wrote in 2002, “It is not allowed for a Muslim who is currently recruited in the American army to fight against Muslims neither in Afghanistan nor anywhere else. It is better that those Muslim soldiers exercise their right and excuse for not participating in the war.”
Scholars at Islamonline.net, an Islamic Web site that includes “fatwa bank,” have said Muslim-American soldiers should not fight against other Muslims, but that if they had no choice and risked harming their community by not participating, then they should find a limited way to participate.
“If there is no way but to participate, then a Muslim can join the rear to help in military service.” The scholars added, however: “After striking the balance between the two difficult choices, the American Muslim soldier should reach a final decision by himself… We can not give a general fatwa that will suit the situation of all American Muslim soldiers.”
By OMAR SACIRBEY
Copyright 2009 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
Beliefnet
Advertisement
posted November 11, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Why not?
posted November 11, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Maj Hasan was a mentally unstable person who committed a criminal act resulting in tragedy—-there is absolutely no justification…….
however, there are some important points brought up….and not just for muslims. The Catholic Church also has a “just war doctrine” (see (Catechism of the Catholic Church).
War in Afghanistan is an easier descision to justify than Iraq—which had no WMD, was not connected to terrorism/Al-Qaeda, and was not a threat to the U.S. But even in Afghanistan—-the methods of war used by the U.S. military are disturbing. Voilence thrives in an environment of voilence and lawlessness—which the U.S. military creates in abundance….Voilence would not be sustainable in an environment governed by laws, justice, development and peace. What Afganistan needs is not more soldiers of war, but more soldiers of law(police)and development(engineers…etc) so that peace can have a chance to florish.—-When soldiers are contributing in a positive way (and not killing civilians) the risks of trauma/mental health problems rampant in the U.S. military will also be reduced.—-It will be a new way to fight war—not by using expensive “killing machines” but by developing an environment that makes voilence and oppression unsustainable.
posted November 12, 2009 at 7:43 am
Here’s a fairly short, tangentially related article on religious terrorists, including white supremacists and Neo-Nazis openly serving in the US military.
and
So religious radicalism is not unique to Muslims and army life may be a lot tenser for Muslims with these kooks allowed to run around.
posted November 12, 2009 at 9:23 am
This guy was a time bomb. The military is a great example of the government doing a bad job running things, not that privatizing it wouldn’t bring on bigger problems than inefficiency. Of course there are conflicts when you mix religion (just about any of them) with violence. When you are a soldier you have to follow orders no matter what. What religion do you know that says it’s okay to do what someone else told you without knowing why or exactly what kind of harm/destruction/impact you are going to have? This guy was a perfect example of a conscienscious objector and yet, nobody was listening to him. Now, because of his religious beliefs and the military’s incompetence, more innocent people are dead.
posted November 12, 2009 at 10:30 am
Our is not, by design at least, a Christian military. The chaplains at the various posts are expected to be open to all people. The chapel at Fort Myers, adjacent to Arlington Cemetery, is designed to accommodate all faiths. People of no religion are supposed to feel as included in a military unit as people of profound devotion. A person’s religious character should not be any part of their military qualification.
posted November 12, 2009 at 12:46 pm
j you are describing the ideal, as shown for instance by Father Mulcahy on Mash, but we keep hearing there are chaplains who get all hot and bothered if they can’t push their particular version of religion all the time. And we keep hearing there are high ranking officers who want to use their power over our sons and daughters serving our country to pressure them into those officers’ religion(s).
I think someone objective needs to take a good hard look at our armed services and sweep out any officers who use them as recruiting tools for their religion.
Now, did everyone see Nicholas Kristof’s NYT column on how to use the $100,000,000,000 per year that 30,000 or so additional troops to Afghanistan would cost (not counting longer term costs) or health care for us all would cost. It’s funny that Republicans howl about the cost of health care but never howl about the cost of military adventures. Is it just possible they get a lot of money from the “defense” industry?
posted November 12, 2009 at 2:00 pm
nnmns,
I am actually outlining a book I might write about a religious / military rebellion, with a group of chaplains and evangelical leaders leading the revolt. The nugget for the idea came from some of the abuses by military officers of anyone who does not comply with their particular beliefs.
And I agree – the Hefelumps seem far too willing to spend on defense contracts, but not on human services. maybe we need to encourage them to work on human resource businesses s they are more willing to spend there and less on war (which, by the way, has been proven historically to be a sure loser in the realm of economics).
posted November 12, 2009 at 4:20 pm
j, good for you! I look forward to its coming out.
posted November 12, 2009 at 7:02 pm
An author in our little group, jestrfyl. Let us know when it hits the stands. I’ll buy.
posted November 13, 2009 at 2:17 am
jest quote, “Our is not, by design at least, a Christian military”
nnmns you’ve better hope that Christian soldiers don’t agree with you and drop out. I’ve been in the military and you’ve ought to be glad for the Christians who by the way make up the majority of the arm forces be glad they are there serving you and protecting yor freedom. How come you didn’t serve?
posted November 13, 2009 at 11:36 am
Sorry nnmns I confused you with jest your theology is so similar. There is no need to harp that the military is not Christian we Christians do not make that claim. The only motive in making such a statement is for wormwoods to nimble at the fabric of Christianity here in America and abroad.
posted November 14, 2009 at 7:10 am
This is a subject that American Muslims have been debating for years. See “Should American Muslims Join the American Armed Forces?”
http://muslimsforasafeamerica.org/?p=5
posted November 14, 2009 at 8:07 pm
jestrfyl: “Our is not, by design at least, a Christian military.”
cknuck: “you’ve better hope that Christian soldiers don’t agree with you and drop out”
cknuck, do Christians also only shop in Christian grocery stores? Or only fill their tanks at Christian gas stations? They already have their own music and bookstores, so it would be interesting to see if they go all the way in cutting themselves off from secular society.
“There is no need to harp that the military is not Christian we Christians do not make that claim.”
You do, however, make the claim that America is a Christian nation and expect the rest of us to play along with it.
Although one has to wonder…we already have rules banning open homosexuals from the military, and now we’re talking about discharging Muslims? Are we that far from a “Christians only” military?
posted November 14, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Mordred can you take up less space for your useless arguements?
posted November 15, 2009 at 10:40 am
Excellent argument, Mordred. Very useful.
posted November 15, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Religion should not be a consideration. My understanding is that it is national citizenship that determines eligibility, not affirmations of faith.
posted November 15, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Religion is a big consideration for the indiviual that is on the front line. Traditionally the military has been made up of mainly Christians that has not changed, thank God.
posted November 15, 2009 at 11:24 pm
ck,
You’ve missed the point of the article. Of course faith (though not necessarily religion) is a huge concern for people on the front line. But that does not mean they all have to be from the same religious orientation. I think you might find that the large number of Jews might not feel all that differently than do the Moslems, Buddhists, Bahai, Hindus, or Pagans in the military.
Once again, religion is not one of the qualifications for military service. If it ever becomes a qualification we are headed down a sure route to disaster.
posted November 16, 2009 at 12:39 am
“In a PowerPoint presentation to fellow soldiers in 2007, Hasan theorized that Islam prohibits Muslims from serving in a military force attacking Islamic populations”
I think it is you my friend in your wishful thinking that has missed the point. The 3,500 service men and women who identify themselves as Muslim struggle with fighting Islam nations and the countless Christian soldiers most serve on tradition but few have such struggles when it comes to defending this nation. Yeah it is you when you try to minimize the value of Christian values concerning this great nation miss the point.
posted November 16, 2009 at 10:26 am
Most who think of themselves as Consciencious Objectors having these struggles are Christian, but an objection to what is required of you in the military can happen to anyone with a conscious.
posted November 16, 2009 at 10:27 am
*conscience*
posted November 16, 2009 at 10:33 am
If we still had conscription then there might be some sort of argument. But this is still an all volunteer effort. The question is should they volunteer.
You have to wonder, though. Christians seem to have no problem attacking, maiming, and killing other Christians. Just who has what backward?
I do not want anyone holding a loaded weapon to think the person at which said weapon is pointed is of less value as a human than they are. Neither Christians, nor Muslims, nor anyone else is of greater value. We are all God’s children, equal in God’s eyes. It is our eyes that are at fault.
posted November 16, 2009 at 11:54 am
Well said, jestrfyl, well said!
posted November 16, 2009 at 2:16 pm
OK get off of the soapbox jest it’s not Sunday, come back to reality and in reality there are wars. Guys (except maybe you) join the military to defend our country. The U.S. with it’s many faults tries to be just when fighting wars. It’s nothing like you just described when you actually have to kill in battle lot’s of thoughts occur and yes for moral sake sometimes the enemy is looked at as of less value but people react differently when forced to kill. I’m just glad of the guys I had by my side and that none of them were you. War is a nasty piece of work but it is never as simple as you describe and you are enjoying the benefits of many soldiers both live and dead.
posted November 16, 2009 at 7:36 pm
“The U.S. with it’s many faults tries to be just when fighting wars.”
cknuck
Iraq?
posted November 16, 2009 at 7:44 pm
pagan whether Iraq was a just war or not is in some circles still debatable but regardless as to why we went I would say we fought with honor and was just in most of our assault tactics. For the troops to go or not to go is not a choice how we conduct ourselves is.
posted November 16, 2009 at 9:06 pm
I agree,cknuck, the soldiers (my nephew being one for 2 tours,then left the Army) did (and do) their jobs with honor (most of the time).
posted November 17, 2009 at 12:28 am
by the way I was and am opposed to both Iraq and Afghanistan but if I were still young enough I would have served. I applaud people like your nephew.
posted November 17, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Thanks cknuck. We’re all proud of him also.
posted November 17, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Jest,
It’s true that the military is volunteer but many who join are young and it isn’t until they are in that they begin to question their own beliefs about violence, pacifism, their religious bent, etc. whether through maturity or experience.
posted December 7, 2009 at 12:18 pm
No. Muslims should not be serving in the US military.