| FrontPageMag.com | By Robert Spencer | By Hugh Fitzgerald | Books | Dhimmi Watch | Islam 101 | Qur'an Blog | Raymond Ibrahim | Robert Spencer |  |
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In FrontPage this morning I discuss Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar's stated motives for attempting to kill UNC students, and the implications of those motives (news links in the original):
Before he drove a rented SUV onto the campus of the University of North Carolina and tried to run down and kill as many people as he could on March 3, Mohammed Reza Taheri-Azar left a letter of explanation in his apartment. It is chillingly detached, almost clinical: “In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate. To whom it may concern: I am writing this letter to inform you of my reasons for premeditating and attempting to murder citizens and residents of the United States of America on Friday, March 3, 2006 in the city of Chapel Hill, North Carolina by running them over with my automobile and stabbing them with a knife if the opportunities are presented to me by Allah.”In the letter, Taheri-azar identifies himself simply as “a servant of Allah.” He declares that “in the Qur’an, Allah states that the believing men and women have permission to murder anyone responsible for the killing of other believing men and women.…After extensive contemplation and reflection, I have made the decision to exercise the right of violent retaliation that Allah has given me to the fullest extent to which I am capable at present.” And further, “Allah’s commandments are never to be questioned and all of Allah’s commandments must be obeyed. Those who violate Allah’s commandments and purposefully follow human fabrication and falsehood as their religion will burn in fire for eternity in accordance with Allah’s will.”
In a letter written a week later, Taheri-azar asserted: “I live with the holy Koran as my constitution for right and wrong and definition of justice…. Allah gives permission in the Koran for the followers of Allah to attack those who have raged [sic] war against them, with the expectation of eternal paradise in case of martyrdom and/or living one’s life in obedience of all of Allah’s commandments found throughout the Koran’s 114 chapters. I’ve read all 114 chapters approximately 15 times since June of 2003 when I started reading the Koran.” And he did not try to murder UNC students “out of hatred for Americans, but out of love for Allah instead. I live only to serve Allah, by obeying all of Allah’s commandments of which I am aware by reading and learning the contents of the Koran.”Taheri-azar may have been referring to passages such as Qur’an 2:190 (“Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you…”) and 9:111: “Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs in return is the garden of Paradise: they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain…” There are numerous other passages enjoining violence against unbelievers (2:216; 9:5; 9:29; 47:4; etc.). But in response, according to a local news report, “several leaders of the Triangle Muslim community say Taheri-azar’s personal interpretation of the Quran is wrong and it goes against the true belief of Muslims across the world -- which is peace.”
Such a response was predictable both in its content and lack of specificity. Every day brings more evidence that Muslims believe the Qur’an enjoins anything but peace: Monday saw hundreds of Muslim clerics demonstrating in Afghanistan against the release of Christian convert Abdul Rahman. They chanted “Death to Christians!” and called for the killing of Abdul Rahman in accord with Islam’s traditional prohibition of apostasy. One cleric, Faiez Mohammed of Kunduz, was succinct: “Abdul Rahman must be killed. Islam demands it.”
It is abundantly clear that even if Mohammed Taheri-azar acted alone on March 3 in Chapel Hill, his view of the Qur’an is not eccentric among Muslims worldwide. Yet three and a half years after Muhammad Atta and his crew flew a plane into the World Trade Center out of love for Allah, we still don’t see any sustained or concerted effort by self-proclaimed peaceful Muslims in the United States or anywhere else to disabuse their coreligionists of this jihad ideology, and its globalist, supremacist, totalitarian political agenda. Such an effort should not be seen as optional or incidental; without it, the very commitment of these self-proclaimed moderates to the United States and its Constitution can and should be called into question.
Also, analysts keep focusing on the question of whether or not Taheri-azar was a “terrorist.” I don’t care if you call him a canteloupe. The real problem here is that anyone anywhere at any time can read the Qur’an and come to the same conclusion that he did. If American officials were really serious about preventing a future attack, they would address that. If American Muslim advocacy groups were really serious about being loyal, patriotic Americans, they would address that.
Am I saying that the Qur’an should be outlawed, as was attempted long ago in Calcutta and about which there have been some rumblings recently in Germany?
No, I would prefer to deal more in the realm of what is realistically possible. I’d like to see an honest public discussion of the elements of the Qur’an and Sunnah that give impetus to violence and fanaticism. I’d like to see American Muslim spokesmen explain how they will specifically address these elements, and teach Muslims to reject them in favor of the principles of the equality of dignity and rights of all people, women as well as men, non-Muslims as well as Muslims. And I’d like to see them follow through on these explanations with real action.
Only then might we be getting somewhere against the phenomenon represented by Mohammed Taheri-azar. I am not holding my breath.
Posted by Robert at March 29, 2006 7:13 AM
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I have been to Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan (twice) in the last four years, all locations dealing with Islam. I believe that the only way to get the attention of the Islamic community is to hit them with a big stick to get there attention. Islam only understands FORCE! Then the world will be able to talk to them. Until that happens.....I agree with Mr. Spencer and I am already turning blue.
Posted by: HAVOC05![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 29, 2006 7:36 AM
Mr. Spencer,
Anyone who thinks that Taheri-azar did this on a whim is not dealing with reality. This real-life Jihad Norman Bates gave plenty of warning to people who worked with him, people who associated with him, and he was recieving "spiritual guidance" from someone. His alienation from people was cultivated by someone.
I think that the police and FBI should find out who he was associating with in the months prior to the attack. I doubt his family will be much help on the matter since they will not be able to be objective, but this Taheri-azar was encouraged to do this by someone. Bet on it.
My hunch is that because he has a background in psychology he will feign insanity and try to cover up what may really be a conspiracy to violate the civil rights of the students and a conspiracy to murder them. There is more here than meets the eye. Taheri-azar told somebody about what he was going to do on March 3, 2006.
at March 29, 2006 7:59 AM
Taheri-azar's family said in a statement Friday, “Please let us echo in your ears that my brother was and always has been a kind, gentle and pure soul,” she read from a statement. “His current actions and words are as much a source of shock and distress to us as they are to you.”
This is typical nonsense, no not nonsense, but outright blatant lies we hear from the relatives of suicide islamic mass murderers. They, the jihadis, are always kind, gentle wouldnt hurt a fly types, except ofcourse Infidels. Flies are exempt but Infidels are to be murdered whenever opportunity presents itself. These family members of jihadis have so much good to say for their Jihadi kin but not a word of symapthy for the vicims of the Jihadis. How could they, Infidels are infidels - showing sympathy for them will detract from the sanctity of the Jihadi's act and would put in peril their own entry to paradise as relatives of the Jihadi.
The one thing they missed out was that Taheri-azar was a "pious" person. If they had said that, it would have been all the evidence one required.
Posted by: DP111 at March 29, 2006 10:30 AM
So what version of the Quran did our Psyche major read? Was it the translated version by N.J.Dawood that gives a parallel of Arabic text, or did he read the English version? And if that was the case, will our masters of taquiya come out with the usual bloviating nonsence saying that his interpretation is meaningless unless it is read in Arabic? Shallow as that ridiculous argument is, given that over 80 PCT of the Muslims of the world do not speak, or read Arabic.
Posted by: Mackie at March 29, 2006 10:39 AM
To: Aleemuddin Ahmed
You write as though you were born and raised in the West. Where do you currently live? Would you be so kind as to provide the name of the imam and mosque location of those who, in your opinion, are preaching a form of islam with which you disagree? Just like St. Nickluas, some of us are making a list and checking it twice trying to find out who has been naughty and nice.
Posted by: omvi at March 29, 2006 10:44 AM
question to HAVOC05
Were we on the wrong side in Bosnia? Should we have backed the Serbs? They were going after Muslims with a big stick and we stopped them.
at March 29, 2006 10:52 AM
I agree with HAVOC05. Islam will only understand force and the sooner the better. They started this insanity. How long do we have to put up with it?
Posted by: Dakota warrior at March 29, 2006 10:54 AM
Taking about Kosovo, why is United States supporting an idependent Muslim republic of Kosovo that is and has been Serbian terrirory for centuries? I just don't understand if there are mistakes or there is some kind of extremely intelligent policy behind it. Just because Albanians illegally immigrated into Kosovo and are not a 90% majority, does not mean they deserve to have their own Umma ruled by Sharia and heavily influenced by Saudi Arabia.
New Mexico probably has more than half of mexicans living there, does that mean we should give them an independent state of New Mexico, supported by Chavez?
As I see it, America has been supporting militant Islam for years now: a)Osama and the mujahadeen in Afganistan; b) Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait; c) Bosnia; d) Kosovo; e) Chechnya. That all I have and that is in the last 20 years. Sponsoring our own death, that how I see it.
Posted by: mosmike at March 29, 2006 11:57 AM
Frank may be on to something, as it doesn't make sense that he would do something so twisted and evil on his own inertia.
What I don't get, is why MRTA assigned blame to these particular students? If he's going to remain true to a vile belief system, then wouldn't he murder those directly responsible? God help us if we're all free game!!
What is going on?!?
Posted by: champ at March 29, 2006 2:06 PM
mismike posted : Just because Albanians illegally immigrated into Kosovo and are not a 90% majority, does not mean they deserve to have their own Umma ruled by Sharia and heavily influenced by Saudi Arabia.
It also sets a precedent for not just Europe but the US as well.
Posted by: DP111 at March 29, 2006 5:42 PM
"In a letter written a week later, Taheri-azar asserted: “I live with the holy Koran as my constitution for right and wrong and definition of justice…. Allah gives permission in the Koran for the followers of Allah to attack those who have raged [sic] war against them, with the expectation of eternal paradise in case of martyrdom and/or living one’s life in obedience of all of Allah’s commandments found throughout the Koran’s 114 chapters. I’ve read all 114 chapters approximately 15 times since June of 2003 when I started reading the Koran.” And he did not try to murder UNC students “out of hatred for Americans, but out of love for Allah instead. I live only to serve Allah, by obeying all of Allah’s commandments of which I am aware by reading and learning the contents of the Koran.” "
It is because of this that I become enraged when islam fans come here and talk about "Islamic juridprudence," and why those who are not "scholars of it cannot comment about it. This clown has defined his "constitution for right and wrong and justice" as the "holy Koran," and I'm sure that tens of thousands of muslims in this country would use the same identical definition.
In my manner of thinking, people like this are a clear and present danger to our country. There is but ONE Constitution that applies to EVERY man, woman, and child in this country, and any other becomes a counter to it. People who believe that the ONE Constitution that applies to every man, woman, and child does NOT apply to them, or that it does not apply upon the occasion when their own PERSONAL "constitution" supercedes the law of the land, then such people must be looked upon with suspicion as possible enemies.
Fans of Islam cannot be trusted by their speech, because they are trained to deceive. They cannot be trusted as friends, for the same above reason, and due to the fact that THEY are not allowed to befriend non-muslims. They cannot be trusted for their national loyalty, because their own personal "definition of right and wrong," (their own personal "constitution") might tell them to destroy us (because of their "love" for allah). And they wonder why there are so-called "islamophobes."
Posted by: yohannbiimu at March 29, 2006 6:01 PM
I have made this comment before, and I am going to repeat it here. North Carolina needs to classify this as a hate crime. I assume that NC has a hate crime law. Several states do. I can see CAIR ponying up for his defense. There really, really needs to be this kind of trial; the press coverage would be tremendous.
Posted by: Pelayo at March 29, 2006 7:11 PM
Tito and Milosevic were both realist when it came to the Islamic community. As long as they obeyed the law of the lands, there was no problem. When they started breaking the rules that’s when the hammer fell. Unfortunately someone went crying to the UN and now we have a true quagmire in that region. Funny......the UN wanted the Coalition to put Iraq under UN control to build into a democracy, but all one has to do is look at the Balkans and see the mess the UN has made of the area to realize that turning over Iraq to the UN would have been the biggest mistake the Coalition could have made.
Posted by: HAVOC05 at March 29, 2006 8:15 PM
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