Was The Shooter A Muslim?
According to the Chicago Tribune, the shooter had "Ismail Ax" written in red ink on his arm. Part of the mysterious note that was left said he was mad at "rich kids," "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans"
Some have been wondering what "Ismail Ax" could mean. After some searching, it could be said it is a Muslim reference. "Ismail Ax" itself doesn't yield many results in a search, but search for "Ismail Axe", and you would find the answer. The shooter was "Americanized" for 14 years, it is common for Americans to use the word "Ax" instead of "Axe".
From al-islam.org, I think I found the explanation.
Quran XXII: 28
You played the role of Ibrahim, not just to play but to worship and to love. Do not return to play your role after playing the role of Ibrahim! Do not leave the house of people. Do not isolate yourself. Do not replace your Ihram with your previous clothing. Leave Mina for Mecca and take your Ismail with you!
You are like Ibrahim who in the history of mankind was a great fighter against idolatry. He was the founder of unity in this world and had the responsibility of leading his people. He was a rebellious leader whose soul was suffering, whose heart was loving, whose thoughts were enlightening and ...
The axe was in his hand! Faith was raised in the hearts of the Kofr and monotheism flourished in the midst of polytheism. Ibrahim, the fighter of idolatry, came out of the house of "Azar", the idol-maker of his tribe. He broke the idols; he broke Nimrood. He fought against ignorance, oppression and passiveness. He rebelled against the tranquility of suffering and the security established by persecution. He was a guide for his tribe and the founder of his movement, life, direction, hope, goal and faith of unity.
You are like Ibrahim! Fight the fire, the fire of oppression and ignorance so that you may save your people. The fire is in the fate of every responsible individual; it is your duty to guide and save. But ... Allah makes the fireplace of Nimrod and his followers a rose garden for Ibrahim and his followers. You will not burn or turn into ashes. This teaches you to be ready to jump into the fire for Jihad (Struggle)! And
... to teach, let yourself into the fire in order to prevent the people from burning. ... to the more painful stage of Shahadat.
You are like Ibrahim! Sacrifice your Ismail. Put the knife to his throat with your hands...Save the throat of the people from being cut-the people are always sacrificed at the doors of palaces of power, and temples of torture. PUT THE BLADE AT YOUR SON'S THROAT SO THAT YOU MAY TAKE THE BLADE FROM THE EXECUTIONER'S HAND!
But ... Allah will pay the ransom of your Ismail. You do not kill and do not lose your Ismail. THIS IS TO TEACH YOU THAT YOU SHOULD BE READY TO SACRIFICE YOUR ISMAIL (LOVE) IN YOUR OWN HANDS FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR FAITH!..."to the more painful stage of Shahadat"! And now, Oh Hajj who is returning from circumambulating love, you are in the position of Ibrahim. You have reached the point where he did.
Ibrahim's life was filled with struggle when he reached this point- braking the idols, fighting with Nimrod, tolerating his fire, struggling with Eblis, sacrificing his Ismail, migration, homelessness, loneliness torture, passage from the stage of prophecy to the stage of leadership (Imamat), going from "individuality" to "collectivity" and being from "the house of "Azar" to being "the builder of the house of unity" (Kaaba)!
At the end of his life, gray-haired and old, Ibrahim built the house of Allah and laid down the black stone. His helper Ismail carried the rocks and handed them to his father. How wonderful! Ibrahim and Ismail built the Kaaba. Ibrahim and Ismail, one was saved from the fire and one saved from being sacrificed. Both were representatives of Allah and were responsible to the people. They were the architects of the oldest temple of "unity" on this earth, and the first house of the people." The "free house," the house of love and worship (Haram), is a symbol of "heavenly privacy".
You are in "Ibrahim's position" - right where he stood. The very last step of his ascension, in Miraj, is the shortest distance toward Allah.
You also have the Ismaili Muslims, which are found in China and South Asia, among other areas.
Will update if any experts tie this together, or if I'm wrong.
***UPDATE***
From Hot Air. This Ismail Ax reference could also be from a play titled the "The Prairie" by James Fennimore Cooper.
You probably already know this, but in James Fennimore Cooper’s story “The Prairie,” the settler Ishmael Bush, who is attempting to escape from civilization, sets out across the prairie with two key tools, a gun and an axe. Each has a symbolic meaning. The axe — which can either kill or provide shelter — stands for both creation and destruction. Given that the VT killer was an English major, might this be the likely meaning of the words on his arm?
I should note, the "Ismail" the shooter used, is the Arabic and Muslim spelling. The "Ishmael" in the play, is the common Christian spelling.
***UPDATE***
Well, it doesn't seem that any of the "bigger" blogs have picked up on this. I've only found one other blog that begins to explain the Ismail and Ax reference. It really wasn't that hard to find. All I did was do a search on Google and sift through the results. I guess it must be too much work for some. What I am seeing is many of these people are trying to explain it away.
***UPDATE***
There seems to be more clues about him possibly being Muslim. He pretty much refused to talk to anyone there. Muslims will not talk to infidels. What info that was released about his note indicates a "jihad" against the infidels or as he says, "rich kids," "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans"
I am in no way trying to say this was a planned Jihad. But, I think after the altercation with the female student, it kind of kicked in. I don't know the rules in Islam as far as suicide, but I do know they will not get their 72 virgins if they are killed by an infidel. This could be why he killed himself as police moved in.
***UPDATE***
I've still been trying to nail this down as a definite. But, I haven't had any luck. From bits and pieces that I have found, we once again find that the pedophile prophet Mohammed has bastardized history to suit his needs.
I'm going to try to put this together from what I can remember. It's not intended to be used as a reference, but rather to give a general idea.
Isaac and Ishmael (Ismail) were children of Abraham (Ibrahim). Ishmael (Ismail) was the the oldest and his mother was a hooker. Isaac was born from the wife of Abraham (Ibrahim), Sara. As you can read in the above quranic chapter, Ismail was nearly sacrificed by his father. That is false, it was Isaac that was nearly sacrificed by Abraham when God told him to stop. Isaac was the heir to Abraham (Ibrahim), Ishmael (Ismail) became successful, but was overshadowed by his brother. As you can imagine, things didn't work out that well for the two brothers, and it is still evident today because Ishmael (Ismail) became the father of Arabs, and Isaac became the father of the Jews.
***UPDATE 4/19***
The jihadi's are falling over themselves to claim this guy. Check out this blog. He translates the Arabic sites and message boards regarding the VT Shooter.
