What Nidal Hasan said about suicide bombers

Following is the full text on the 'social publishing' site Scribd.com:

"There was a grenade thrown amongs a group of American soldiers. One of the soldiers, feeling that it was to late for everyone to flee jumped on the grave with the intention of saving his comrades. Indeed he saved them. He inentionally took his life (suicide) for a noble cause i.e. saving the lives of his soldier. To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause. Scholars have paralled this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers. If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard that would be considered a strategic victory. Their intention is not to die because of some despair. The same can be said for the Kamikazees in Japan. They died (via crashing their planes into ships) to kill the enemies for the homeland. You can call them crazy if you want but their act was not one of suicide that is despised by Islam. So the scholars main point is that "IT SEEMS AS THOUGH YOUR INTENTION IS THE MAIN ISSUE" and Allah (SWT) knows best."

The person [Nidal Hasan]who posted this comment was actually responding to an article 'Martyrdom vs Suicide Bombing' which was rallying against suicide bombings - in a sense the Major uses the argument's loopholes to justify his actions [if it is indeed the Maj.] of the attack against soldiers at the base:

In any case, none of the scholars permit any act of suicide against non-military targets. This is in sharp contrast to the most vociferous proponents of suicide bombings, such as al-Qaeda and other takfeeri-jihadists, who almost exclusively encourage and justify the murder of non-combatants, regardless of the religion, age or gender. [..]

Major Hasan got around this by making his targets military ones. He worked on a base as a psychiatrist.

The person arguing against suicide actions in the name of Islam - further points out that al-Qaeda goes after non-combatants of any religion. Suggesting again that the targets are more acceptable if the are military - as well as non-Muslim. Which the gunner likely concluded as well.

Firstly, there is not a single narration the essay cites relating to battlefield jihad - whether the ghazawat (the military campaigns of the Prophet) or otherwise - except that it clearly extols the virtue of the mujahid fighting the enemy until he is killed by them. Pay attention here: the narrations are praising the one who fights until he is killed by his enemy = not the one who kills himself in order to fight the enemy. Hence, Allah's saying: [...]

Again - the argument against such actions were overcome - 'one who fights until he is killed by his enemy' - the Maj. simply goes out with a gun - fighting - the enemy - until his is shot but not killed - and hospitalized.

There is no valid restriction within these arguments - that bars him from his actions.



The internet post seems to be a response to an article which has an Arabic link to the following online book[.pdf]

Al Alwaan = Sheik Nasir Al Alwaan
Eeman >> "Eeman is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and to believe in the Predestination; the good and the bad."

Eeman is a combination of Belief and Actions. AHYA.org