‘Allahu Akbar'

A repeated question of reporters through the evening was "did the shooter say anything before he started shooting"?

It was pretty clear what they were looking for.

Does saying 'Allahu Akbar' reflect more than just a troubled man (yes, a murderer and wicked -- but also mentally unstable) using the language of the day? Hard to say -- did the Montreal Massacre mean anything broader about gender or was it just a deranged killer with a gun? There is a culture of violence (violence against women, Western values, gays and, yes, Jews) that has adopted 'Allahu Akbar' as a slogan.

One blogger said "no one ever cries 'Christ is King' and starts shooting". I was struck by that because it's so clearly wrong -- as recently as the 90's such language, albeit not in English, was used just before murder. (And that use brought shame to Christians everywhere). That said, I had hoped the shooter here was silent; but he was not. What that means, or doesn't mean, will be important in the days to come.

Gunman shouted 'Allahu Akbar:' witnesses

Base commander at U.S. army base Fort Hood says psychiatrist suspected in rampage that killed 13 made comment before shooting

April Castro and Devlin Barrett

Fort Hood, Texas— Associated Press



The base commander at Fort Hood says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at the Texas post.

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone told NBC's Today show that suspected shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday that also left 30 people wounded. Military officials say they are still piecing together what may have pushed Mr. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress, to turn on his comrades.



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