Daniel J. Pipes

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This time it could be a lone nut

Reader comment on item: The Snipers: Crazy or Jihadis?

Submitted by Howard Veit (United States), Oct 31, 2002 at 21:25

While media's keeping the "jihad" possibility off the table reveals agenda politics at its usual dispicable level, this case doesn't seem to fit the jihad scenario except as an individual one.

Ledeen has pointed out in his book that these guys get "triggered" by their local mosques or imams, but there is no evidence that Muhammad was a regular mosque attendee. What is more likely is that he just took Islam to a personal level of hate. We've had Christian nut cases where nobody blamed a religion because most of us have a Christian background and know that these nuts are nuts. There is no evidence yet that Muhammad prayed five times a day, that he had a Quran to read, or that he practiced any Muslim ritual.

Without evidence of some Imam or some other clerical urging I cast my vote with the lone nut theory, but remain open to other possibilities.


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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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