In December 2013, the Boston Globe published a major study that purported to show that the Tsarnaev brothers “appear have been motivated less by Islamist ideology and more by their own personal failings and inner demons.”
Even here, MassLive shies away from identifying the Qur’an quotes as such, instead referring to them as quotes from Islamic sources. Was this an attempt to obfuscate the Qur’an’s role in inciting Tsarnaev to violence, or just laziness and ignorance?
“Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial: Jihadi videos, photos of bloodied Muslim children on brother’s computer,” by Shira Schoenberg, MassLive, April 28, 2015:
…Photos found in encrypted files on Tsarnaev’s computer showed dead and bloodied children, mangled bodies, starving children and young children dressed in Islamic head coverings and robes. There were pictures of bloodied men, of Muslims praying and rallying, of soldiers attacking a child and families grieving.
Tsarnaev’s wallpaper when his laptop was last used featured a picture of bloodied children lying on the ground, repeated over and over on his screen. He had notes on the screen with quotes from Islamic sources. One read, “If Allah had so willed, he would have taken revenge himself, but he wanted to test some of you by means of others.”
That’s Qur’an 47:4.
Another read, “Fight them. Allah will punish them through your hands, will belittle them and will grant you a victory over them and will heal the breasts of the believers.”
That’s Qur’an 9:14-15.
A video on his computer featured pictures of fighters and injured Muslim children, with Arabic music playing. The message of the video was that all Muslims are brothers. “If a Muslim in the east is killed, it’s my responsibility to defend him,” the narrator says.
One photo found on Tsarnaev’s computer featured a picture of Tsarnaev holding a gun, wearing a headscarf and white robe, and posing in front of flag with Arabic writing. Another showed Tsarnaev holding a gun and posing with a young girl.
Tsarnaev’s computer revealed Internet searches related to a Ruger P95 pistol, the type of gun he used to kill MIT Police Officer Sean Collier.
Tsarnaev had software programs on his computer that were meant to encrypt files, allow for anonymous browsing, and circumvent YouTube’s posting restrictions. His password: Allahu Akbar 1.
Prosecutors, during the guilt phase of the trial, showed that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had digital copies of radical Islamic magazines and lectures on his computer….