Sometimes a beard is just a beard, and a Muslim name is just that, a name! The dude had a DUI and was smiling on his mugshot. If you care about Islam that much that you are willing to kill for it, trust me, you wouldn't be caught drinking, much less getting a DUI. I feel bad for this guy's family, especially that this is happening on Eid's eve, they won't be celebrating tomorrow, have to burry their child and probably have their lives turned upside down with constant monitoring from the CIA/FBI and every other entity out there, watch lists and what not, and the entire community watching them. My thoughts & prayers for the families of the marines who also lost their lives. Sad all around!

Anonymous wrote: Yeah, obviously that guy is a Sikh. I lived in the Middle East for years and and it was pretty easy to distinguish between the lumberjack hipsters and Salafis who were sporting beards for religious reasons.

Not for the Sikh temple mass shooter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And please don't act like there's no religious significance at all attached to growing a beard. For some there is and some there isn't. Throwing it out there as a likely sign of religiosity is not an unfair observation. It is seen as a sign of piety and about five seconds in Google will show all sorts of religious discussion on the subject.

My dad was Muslim, and used to have a big beard like that growing up. He didn't have it for religious reasons at all - he just liked having a big beard. Plus, it was the 1970's.

Then one day he shaved it off and it wasn't because his religiosity changed.

I think you're more ignorant than you care to admit. Sometimes a beard is just a beard. Sometimes even Muslims have beards that have nothing to do with their Muslim-ness.

totally agree the beards were in style in the 70s. And I'm pretty sure I said sometimes beards have religious significance and sometimes they don't. But it's dumb to act like beards aren't also considered a sign of piety.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And please don't act like there's no religious significance at all attached to growing a beard. For some there is and some there isn't. Throwing it out there as a likely sign of religiosity is not an unfair observation. It is seen as a sign of piety and about five seconds in Google will show all sorts of religious discussion on the subject.

My dad was Muslim, and used to have a big beard like that growing up. He didn't have it for religious reasons at all - he just liked having a big beard. Plus, it was the 1970's.

Then one day he shaved it off and it wasn't because his religiosity changed.

I think you're more ignorant than you care to admit. Sometimes a beard is just a beard. Sometimes even Muslims have beards that have nothing to do with their Muslim-ness.

To be fair to the poster who mentioned his beard, she clearly didn't mean the beard to be conclusive evidence. Certainly, if he didn't have a beard, some -- probably me among the first -- would have suggested it was a sign that he wasn't religious (at least not religious as it is practiced by Islamic extremists). We simply don't know either way at this point whether Islam played a role. In the absence of knowledge, we are seeking clues about the cause and motivation of the attack.

Yeah, obviously that guy is a Sikh. I lived in the Middle East for years and and it was pretty easy to distinguish between the lumberjack hipsters and Salafis who were sporting beards for religious reasons.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw this this morning, before they released the name of the attacker. It's a shame, I just knew it was going to be a Muslim name when they announced it.

A NAME DOES NOT EQUAL A MOTIVE!!!!!

I agree but in this instance shooting and killing militany with sniper like weapons would make me think terrorism.

My heart goes out to the families of those murdered.

And if it had been a white guy it wouldn't have been terrorism?

Anonymous wrote:And please don't act like there's no religious significance at all attached to growing a beard. For some there is and some there isn't. Throwing it out there as a likely sign of religiosity is not an unfair observation. It is seen as a sign of piety and about five seconds in Google will show all sorts of religious discussion on the subject.

My dad was Muslim, and used to have a big beard like that growing up. He didn't have it for religious reasons at all - he just liked having a big beard. Plus, it was the 1970's.

Then one day he shaved it off and it wasn't because his religiosity changed.

I think you're more ignorant than you care to admit. Sometimes a beard is just a beard. Sometimes even Muslims have beards that have nothing to do with their Muslim-ness.

Before anyone complains that Muslim leaders never condemn acts like this, I am currently listening to Bassam Issa of the Islamic Society for Greater Chattanooga say thusly:

"We as Americans, as Tennesseans, as Chattanoogans, as Muslims of Chattanooga, we are totally shocked and in total disbelief. We strongly condemn this heinous act and we reach out to the families of our beloved Marines. They are our sons too and we see them in the streets all the time. And we do feel that this is our own loss and we are very very furious for what happened."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the style of beard he is sporting in his mugshot and other photos is an indication he is probably practicing and religious, regardless of the DUI. We will find out what the motive was soon enough, I'm sure.

So all those bearded lumberjack-hipster types are practicing Muslims?

There are buffet Muslims, just as there are buffet Christians, Catholics, Jews, Hindus, etc.

Whether this scumbag was motivated in part by some buffet ideology that he rationalized was ok with drinking alcohol, doesn't really make this related to Islam or Muslims. It means he was a selfish, idiotic, bad-Muslim and moron. And that's IF he was partially motivated by some buffet-style Islam - we don't even know if that's the case.

"Practicing" and "religious" are words that are irrelevant. It's not like you get a membership card that gets revoked - it's purely up to self-identification.

Um, wow. Yeah this guy does not appear to be the lumberjack hipster type judging from the polo he's sporting in one of the photos circulating. Secondly, I'm not a bigoted jerk, so I don't think this one act is an indictment of all Muslims if it turns out to be religiously motivated so you need to calm down.

My point was just that he can still be religious despite the DUI because of, as you say, the buffet nature of pretty much all religions.

You were making a point about his beard and being religious. You missed the point that you can't judge on a beard. His was pretty well maintained:



Your original comment made me think of this guy who was killed in the wake of 9/11. He wasn't even a Muslim. He was a Sikh, but he had a tell-tale beard...

And please don't act like there's no religious significance at all attached to growing a beard. For some there is and some there isn't. Throwing it out there as a likely sign of religiosity is not an unfair observation. It is seen as a sign of piety and about five seconds in Google will show all sorts of religious discussion on the subject.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the style of beard he is sporting in his mugshot and other photos is an indication he is probably practicing and religious, regardless of the DUI. We will find out what the motive was soon enough, I'm sure.

So all those bearded lumberjack-hipster types are practicing Muslims?

There are buffet Muslims, just as there are buffet Christians, Catholics, Jews, Hindus, etc.

Whether this scumbag was motivated in part by some buffet ideology that he rationalized was ok with drinking alcohol, doesn't really make this related to Islam or Muslims. It means he was a selfish, idiotic, bad-Muslim and moron. And that's IF he was partially motivated by some buffet-style Islam - we don't even know if that's the case.

"Practicing" and "religious" are words that are irrelevant. It's not like you get a membership card that gets revoked - it's purely up to self-identification.

Um, wow. Yeah this guy does not appear to be the lumberjack hipster type judging from the polo he's sporting in one of the photos circulating. Secondly, I'm not a bigoted jerk, so I don't think this one act is an indictment of all Muslims if it turns out to be religiously motivated so you need to calm down.

My point was just that he can still be religious despite the DUI because of, as you say, the buffet nature of pretty much all religions.

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the style of beard he is sporting in his mugshot and other photos is an indication he is probably practicing and religious, regardless of the DUI. We will find out what the motive was soon enough, I'm sure.

Style of beard? Like these guys


Crazy beards aren't just for Muslims anymore.

Is shooting soldiers really "terrorism"? Sounds more like a military operation - perhaps in violation of the laws of war, but not terrorism.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw this this morning, before they released the name of the attacker. It's a shame, I just knew it was going to be a Muslim name when they announced it.

Right because white guys who commit mass shooting choose churches, theaters, schools, and if they go with the "classic" -- clock towers.

Excellent retort.

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the style of beard he is sporting in his mugshot and other photos is an indication he is probably practicing and religious, regardless of the DUI. We will find out what the motive was soon enough, I'm sure.

So all those bearded lumberjack-hipster types are practicing Muslims?

There are buffet Muslims, just as there are buffet Christians, Catholics, Jews, Hindus, etc.

Whether this scumbag was motivated in part by some buffet ideology that he rationalized was ok with drinking alcohol, doesn't really make this related to Islam or Muslims. It means he was a selfish, idiotic, bad-Muslim and moron. And that's IF he was partially motivated by some buffet-style Islam - we don't even know if that's the case.

"Practicing" and "religious" are words that are irrelevant. It's not like you get a membership card that gets revoked - it's purely up to self-identification.