Ismail Ax Speaks

A reader at Right Truth sent me an email this afternoon about Ismail ax. He asked me to get the story right so as not to deceive anyone. He linked to IslamiCity.com and the article 'Prophet Ibrahim The father of the Prophets.' Here's a portion of the article and the reader's comments.

He [Ibrahim] left his father after he lost hope to convert him to the right path, and directed his efforts towards the people of the town, but they rejected his call and threatened him. By Allah, he said, I shall plot a plan to destroy their idols. He knew that a big celebration was coming soon, where everybody would leave town for a big feast on the riverbank. After making sure that nobody was left in town, Ibrahim went towards the temple armed with an ax. Statues of all shapes and sizes were sitting there adorned with decorations. Plates of food were offered to them, but the food was untouched. "Well, why don't you eat? The food is getting cold." He said to the statues, joking; then with his ax he destroyed all the statues except one, the biggest of them. He hung the ax around its neck and left.

The story goes on to state that his people bound him and threw him in the fire,but allah delivered him from the fire free of his bonds.

The legend continues with a debate between him and King Nimrod of Babylon, and then goes into the story of his relations with Hajar(Hagar) and their son Ismail(Ishmael). It also states that Ismail was the son that Ibrahim took to the mountain at allah's request to be a sacrafice, but IN FACT we know that it was the LORD who told Abraham to take Isaac to the land of Moriah to be a burnt sacrafice.

The meaning behind Ismail's ax is that it was used to destroy the idols that were a sign of debauchery, corruption and sin. As a result we have yet another instance of pure evil brought about by young man with demonic evil Islamic extremest beliefs.

We now know that the package Seung-hui Cho sent to NBC had the name Ismail ax [“A. Ishmael”] in the return address. The package contained 27 Quicktime videos filled with hate against the rich and strange comments pertaining to Christianity, in addition to writings and still shots. Cho called Columbine killers “martyrs” in a written document.

Charles Krauthammer on Fox News with Britt Hume, compared the videos to Islamic suicide bomber videos. Krauthammer also discussed the Ismail ax name, which was printed in red on Cho's arm, and believes there is an Islamic element to Cho's actions. He also believes the taking on a new name, Ismail ax, is something Islamic converts do.

Captain's Quarters says: "Cho also apparently hated Christianity, and that makes the Ismail Ax reference more likely to be the James Fennimore Cooper theory that Hot Air ..."

... reader Ray F. theorized a few days ago that “Ismail/Ishmael Ax” was a reference to James Fenimore Cooper’s story “The Prairie,” the lead character of which was “Ishmael Bush” — spelled the same way Cho spells it here. So let’s not rule that theory out just yet.

Also from Hot Air

Poet Nikki Giovanni, who taught Cho in one of her classes, tells the LA Times that she actually had guards stationed nearby at one point to intervene in case Psy-Cho (as See-Dub dubs him) went off. And here’s what she told CNN:

[snip] [In the fall of 2005,] Giovanni went to the department’s then-chairwoman, Lucinda Roy, and told her she wanted Cho out of her class, and Roy obliged.

“I was willing to resign before I was going to continue with him,” Giovanni said. “There was something mean about this boy.”

Atlas Shrugs is still wondering why the MSM is so silent on Ismail ax. She quotes Jerry Bowyer of TCS Daily, Ismail Ax: The Shooter Was Another 'Son of Sacrifice':

The mainstream press doesn't seem to have a clue as to what this might mean. To quote Indiana Jones, "Didn't any of you guys go to Sunday School?"

I'll let you all decide for yourselves.

Comments

[Stormwarning]

Debbie, while American did not make Cho into the person he became, I suspect, if he was mentally ill, that choice had nothing to do with it.

[Debbie]

Tanto, America did not MAKE Cho into the person he became. He had choices. He chose to murder and commit suicide.

[Tanto]

So easy to come to such a conclusion. You, we, have to admit, this guy is the product of "America". Either he was a Moslem or Buddhist or Christian, whatever, he was "made in America", just like those fanatics suicide bombers in Bali. I, we, have to admit, they are the product of "Indonesia", "made in Indonesia". Stop looking for scapegoats ! What he did was wrong. That's the bottomline. How many of Cho's are there now around us ? That's the question to ask. How come our society could have "produced" such kind of a man ???

[Caryl Johnston]

It didn't take long for the usual chorus of Islam-haters to come out of the woodwork. But Cho also made a confused reference to Christ. Does this mean that Christianity is also to blame for his foul deeds?

[Hurr Durr]

Maybe he's just well-read and picked the ax reference out of his extensive knowledge of religion? How can you claim that he hates Christianity when he offers himself as Christ, a symbol to help those around the world? Agendas always muck up objectivity, as your agenda has, inevitably, done.

[Layla]

Good research and write up Debbie.

[Faultline USA]

I did not know about this connection thanks for sharing it and the links!

[Debbie]

I can't make up my mind if he had any Islamic thoughts or not, but his tactics were right out of a terrorist handbook if you ask me. Look at the suicide videos he sent to NBC

Rex, come back and visit again.

[Rex]

interesting and scary,
first time here really liked your site.

[Stormwarning]

AC, the rush to make every incident like this one an act of Muslim extremism is very distressing. I simply don't see how it makes it easier to understand what happened, and why (the "whys" range across alot of open area).

This guy was a known stalker, but somehow he didn't break any laws (until the shootings). Even if he did convert to Islam, I've got to believe that whatever drove him to this started way before.

[A.C. McCloud]

...Smart thing to perhaps withhold judgment, but maybe not. BTW, the issues implied by what happened at VT are alot broader than whether Cho had converted to Islam....

Agreed. Not yet convinced about the last-minute Islamic conversion (wouldn't be surprising) but certainly his MO was very close to the stock terrorist.

[Joey]

Cho compares himself to Jesus Christ and the crucifixion.

That's funny, because Islam doesn't believe Jesus was crucified. They believe that he lived until old age, and died peacefully.

Could it be that Cho was a Christian who believed in the "end times", and wanted to be martyred for Christ? Most of these end time nuts rail against hypocrisy, hedonism, liberalism, and consider non-psycho Christians as false.

[Stormwarning]

Cho was an English student, so literary references to "Ismail Ax" might still offer the answer, although an Islamic connection should not be ruled out. South Korea has a very small (I believe 40,000 person) Muslim population.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3053904&page=1

Despite the obvious spelling differences, "Call me Ishmael" is one of the most famous lines in American literature.

Besides, it is now being discussed that Cho was psychotic, depressive, and deranged. His psychological make-up could explain all of this, without any connection whatsoever to Islam.

Smart thing to perhaps withhold judgment, but maybe not. BTW, the issues implied by what happened at VT are alot broader than whether Cho had converted to Islam.

[Maggie M. Thornton]

Ismail is a popular Palestinian name, and probably popular throughout the ME. From the beginning, I have felt that this was a direct reference to something Islamic. No way to know, but, let's face it, it's not an American name or an Asian name. I had no idea what the AX meant.

Whether Cho had any ties to terrorism or not, he knew that this little message would be intriguing. He was a terrorist, plain and simple. He was a manipulator.

Abraham's lack of patience (awaiting the child God promised to his wife Sarah) has caused mankind many trials and tribulations.

Thanks to you and to your reader for shedding light on the AX.

Maggie
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