Conservatives See Terrorists Everywhere

Posted by Guest Blogger at 4:30 PM on June 19, 2007.

This post, written by Melissa McEwan, originally appeared on Shakesville

Remember in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting how an unfortunate number of conservatives were foaming at the mouth that Cho Sueng Hui's handle "Ax Ishmael" was evidence that he was a Muslim terrorist? "Precisely how many mass shooters have to turn out to have adopted Muslim names before we get it?" asked Jerry Boywer at TownHall, in an essay which quickly made its way to the Free Republic and well beyond.

Yeah, well, not so much:

Cho, 23, of Centreville, whose family was religious and had sought help for him from a Woodbridge church, repeatedly made religious references. He said that he had been "crucified" and that, as with Jesus, his actions would set people free. He called himself a "martyr" who would "sacrifice" his life. He wrote that he would go down in history as the "Jesus Christ of the Weak and Defenseless." He thought his actions would inspire others to fight back and get even.

Cho's various writings also included a photograph of himself stretched out as if on a cross and an exhortation to the "Children of Ishmael" to "take up the cross...take up our guns and knives...and take no prisoners and spare no lives." Unless there are a lot of Muslims I don't know about with a Christ complex and a crucifixion fetish, I don't think Islam can be charged with this one. Maybe now the wingnuts will get on board with that whole "facts" thing, but I doubt it.

Tagged as: terrorism, conservatives, virginia tech

Melissa McEwan is the founder and editor of Shakesville, an award-winning blog with a diverse group of international contributors and an eye on progressive politics and culture. A freelance writer and graphic designer, McEwan lives in suburban Chicago with two cats and a Scotsman.