Staying out of military is not enough

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Sep 2, 2011 at 14:50

Dear Dr Pipes:

Your reader Naeem said, "Those moslems who think they cannot be loyal to the US should just do everyone a big favor and stay out of the military."

This statement is correct but does not go far enough. The statement was made in the context of Maj. Hasan's act of betrayal in the US military. Would it be enough if Maj. Hasan had stayed out of military? Far from it. The very foundation of our civilization is based on the assumption that neighbors will not harm neighbors and the citizens of one country will within reasonable limits stand by each other. The quranic injunction that Muslims should not fight against other muslims is wrong (if there is such an injunction). There is no reason why a Muslim should support another just because they wear the same tag. Islam is not a nation. It is a religion.

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