Criminal law, International, Media, Religion, Society

“Life Is Short and Bitter”: Tennessee Terrorist Reportedly Posted Islamic Messages Before Deadly Rampage

2A98AE1D00000578-3164129-Smirking_Muhammad_Abdulazeez_24_pictured_has_been_identified_as_-a-5_1437092333393We have previously discussed the disconnect in some individuals, particularly ISIS recruits, who live relatively normal lives in the West only to become suddenly radicalized and violent as Islamic extremists. Chattanooga gunman Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez could be such a case, though police are still trying to confirm the motivation for the attacks. The attack has been labeled “domestic terrorism.” Abdulazeez, 24, murdered four Marines and wounded a police officer on Thursday in shootings at two military recruiting and training centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee. What is now known is that he posted a couple posts shortly before the attack discussing how Muslims should act in this short life and how they had to resist the corrupting influence of life around them in proving their faith.


Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait and comes from a deeply religious Muslim family. However, he appeared well-integrated into society in high school and, judging from his DUI arrest, engaged in non-Muslim practices. Notably, his arrest of DUI occurred recently on April 21, 2015. He was not on any watch list though his father was investigated once for suspicious international ties.

2A98697D00000578-3164129-image-a-20_1437082321524Abdulazeez was in many respects a successful member of our society. He attended Red Bank High School in Tennessee and is described by a former coach as “an All American kid.” While he would stop practicing in sports to pray each day, he also was known to like beer and socialize. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, his high school yearbook quote contained a joke that now has a more menacing meaning: “My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?”

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He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga with a degree in electrical engineering. He worked from April 2009 to April 2010 as an intern with the Tennessee Valley Authority and had internships at Mohawk Industries and Global Trade Express.

While his fellow students describe his as deeply religious, they describe him as nice and funny in relations with other people. In high school, he was a wrestler and later trained as a mixed martial arts fighter. One such fight was videotaped.

He has been described as a “Jordanian citizen” who seemed to have a change in behavior after returning from a trip to the Middle East two years ago. There may have been multiple recent trips. We have seen other cases where relatively short exposure to radical Islamic centers or figures has pushed some young Muslims to extremism. He reportedly had become more devout in the last couple months. In this case, a relatively short period is being cited for the change of a person once described as the “All American kid” to a murderous fanatic.

Particular attention is likely to be given to two recent blog posts from July 13, 2015.

The first is entitled “A Prison Called Dunya” where he talks about how short life is and how it is “nothing more than a test of our faith and patience”:

I would imagine that any sane person would devote their time to mastering the information on the study guide and stay patient with their studies, only giving time for the other things around to keep themselves focused on passing the exam. They would do this because they know and have been told that they will be rewarded with pleasures that they have never seen.

. . .

It was designed to separate the inhabitants of Paradise from the inhabitants of Hellfire, and to rank amongst them the best of the best and worst of the worst. Don’t let the society we live in deviate you from the task at hand. Take your study guide, the Quran and Sunnah, with strength and faith, and be firm as you live your short life in this prison called Dunya. Allah (SWT) says live for this life and the hereafter according to their length. Rasulullah says the life on this world compared to the hereafter is like a drop compared to an ocean.

Brothers and sisters don’t be fooled by your desires, this life is short and bitter and the opportunity to submit to allah may pass you by. Take his word as your light and code and do not let other prisoners, whether they are so called “Scholars” or even your family members, divert you from the truth. If you make the intention to follow allahs way 100 % and put your desires to the side, allah will guide you to what is right.

The second post was entitled “Understanding Islam: The Story of the Three Blind Men” and he discussed how may of leading Islamic leaders were generals and political leaders who sought to convert the world as the Prophet’s Sahaba, or companions:

We often talk about the Sahaba (RA) and their Ibada. We talk about their worshiping at night, making thikr, reading quran, fasting, sala. But did you ever notice that in one certain period towards the end of the lives of the Sahaba (RA), almost every one of the Sahaba (RA) was a political leader or an army general? Every one of them fought Jihad for the sake of Allah.

So this picture that you have in your mind that the Sahaba (RA) were people being like priests living in monasteries is not true. All of them towards the end of the lives were either a mayor of a town, governor of a state, or leader of an army at the frontlines. The Sahaba (RA) were very involved in establishing Islam in the world. Their mission was to establish Islam and live it. …

We ask Allah to make us follow their path. To give us a complete understanding of the message of Islam, and the strength the live by this knowledge, and to know what role we need to play to establish Islam in the world.

What is currently known presents a chilling picture of a young man who appeared to have succeeded in society in going to college and pursuing his athletic and religious interests within a pluralistic environment. I expect many will be exploring what triggered this violent outburst with a particular interest in the trip back to the Middle East as well as the influences that he found in the United States. We have seen other cases of successful or seemingly well-adjusted individuals who turned into Islamic extremists and murderers. There remains a belief that exposure to the freedoms of the West is the greatest counter to extremism and for most it is. However, we have seen cases where exposure to Islamic extremism can also overwhelm some individuals and push them to violence.

Abdulazeez’s at a minimum show someone who appears torn between or at least a participant in two cultures. In the days to come, we will hopefully learn more about what specifically triggered this murderous rampage.

Lest we focus on Abdulazeez and his twisted view of morality, below are the Marines that he murdered in cold blood in Tennessee. They are Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan of Springfield, Mass.; Lance Cpl. Skip ‘Squire’ Wells, of Marietta, Ga.; Sgt. Carson Holmquist, of Grantsburg, Wisc.; and Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, of Chattanooga:

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122 thoughts on ““Life Is Short and Bitter”: Tennessee Terrorist Reportedly Posted Islamic Messages Before Deadly Rampage”

  1. Karen, Obama is adamant on not using the term “Islamic terrorists” as long as he’s President. The first step in solving a problem is admitting you have one.

  2. Karen, Daddy issues. We see it manifested on a horribly regular basis here as well. From our conversations, we were both blessed to have great parents.

    1. Nick

      At least Muslims aren’t likely to have mohammed has two daddy issues, although there is a saying about how women are for babies and boys are for pleasure.

      My understanding is that the beard (not the Anthony Weiner kind) is to signify that the catcher has become the pitcher.

  3. Squeeky:

    I agree about the land mines. The late Princess Diana was very invested in that cause. A great many children get blown up from mines left lying around. Years ago, I read an article about specialists who very carefully detect and remove land mines in what must be the most stressful job on Earth. I believe he said there were something like 7 layers of land mines buried deep underground from all the push and pull between warring factions over the past decades. No one has any idea what land mines are where, and hospitals are full of mutilated adults and kids who blow up walking out after a goat.

  4. It’s my understanding this gutless coward was an ethnic Jordanian/Palestinian who was born in Kuwait, where his mother became a naturalized citizen. There have been very disturbing allegations that his father sexually abused their mother in front of them, and that he declared that Quran gave him the right to have a 2nd wife. (And may I take a moment to add my fervent wish that polygamy not become legalized in America.)

    No word has come out yet, that I have seen, on what the climate was like on extremism in the home, but so far, it sounds like a harsh upbringing.

    And yet, the media is stumbling over themselves saying he was a nice boy from a nice family, as American as anyone else. This does not sound like a nice family. Is there some kind of land speed record for rushing to condemn cops as racist and that no Muslim terrorists’ actions were related to his religion or postings on religion.

    Here’s a link which includes pages from the divorce filing:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3165737/Muslim-Marine-murderer-s-father-sexually-assaulted-wife-beat-son-wanted-second-wife-allowed-Islamic-law.html

    This is still under investigation and more is coming out.

    My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who perished in this cowardly attack.

  5. @KarenS

    That sounds a lot like that movie I watch about Charlie Parker’s war. It is very sad about all those land mines. We need to outlaw those things, along with the rest of the world. They have to end up killing more innocent people than fighters.

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

    1. Squeeky – the problem with land mines is that although they are very effective against the enemy, usually they fail to take them home when the war is over. I have seen some literature about a land mine that has a sell by date. If it doesn’t go off by off by a certain date it disables itself.

    1. Squeeky

      Ackbar is so hot this year. He’s really brought a European feel to explosive vests and man dresses.

  7. Squeeky:

    Here is a brief overview of the US-assisted overthrow of the Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan:

    http://www.britannica.com/event/Soviet-invasion-of-Afghanistan

    An unpopular coup overthrew the Afghani government and installed a Marxist-Leninist government, which proceeded to “ruthlessly purge” domestic opposition. When the population rose up, the Soviets invaded, removed the Afghani government, and installed their own so that they could annex the country and grow the reach of the former USSR. 2.8 million Afghanis fled to Pakistan while 1.5 million fled to Iran. So this definitely was not a case of the countryside embracing secularism, even under communism.

    We were loathe to see the spread of communism in the ME, so we helped the mujahideen fight the Soviets.

    I asked my father once, who worked in government, why we helped the mujahideen, arming and training them, when they would turn on us later under Osama bin Ladin. He explained that any time we form an alliance with anyone other than our few core allies, we run a significant risk of them switching sides at some later date. That is why we give them inferior weaponry and take other measures to ensure we do not prop a fair-weather ally up enough to become too great a threat. It was neither surprising nor inconceivable that the religious totalitarianism of the region would spawn an anti-Western villain who would strike out at the US. Thanking us for helping them get rid of the Soviets was not part of their etiquette training. We were merely a means to an end. As were they, I suppose.

    The Middle East will never tolerate a non-Muslim country in the region. That is why they will fight against Israel until the end of time, or they’re convinced they won’t win, sadly. If we had not helped the mujahideen, it is likely they would have found other support to drive out the Soviets.

    Between the thousand years of warfare prior, the initial coup, the civil unrest, the Soviet coup, the mujahideen, the Soviet overthrow, and the Taliban, Kabul is steeped in blood, and the state is the most heavily land mined in the entire globe.

    http://www.understandingwar.org/russia-and-afghanistan

  8. Squeeky

    Did the first shooting take place aligned towards Mecca like the Flight 93 Memorial?

    Did Moes Mustang have a bumper that said “Allah Is My Copilot”?

  9. Nick:

    ISIS is already targeting children, both training them to kill and showing them beheadings, as well as murdering children. They crucified young kids for not properly fasting during Ramadan. Children’s issues are dear to me, so this just breaks my heart.

  10. Annie/Inga:

    I was neither talking to nor about you, let alone lying about you.

  11. Where did Max-1 go? Posting comments from company & bosses computer system again while on the job collecting salary? Don’t get caught.

    Meantime Annie is going to do OT 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the morning. Never stop, always needs last licks with railing accusations. To GOD be the glory. Those Marines were good men. Rest in peace.

  12. Squeek, So many of these 20/30 something losers are hooked on video games just like some are hooked on reality TV. For this loser and Roof, it’s like they’re playing a video game.

  14. Squeeky,
    Good work. They are lucky they got that judge. They could have had one that placed ideology before the rule of law.

    1. I love the hypocrisy of all of you. It was OK and legal to send hundreds of members of the CPUSA to prison for doing nothing more than talking about the failures of the US government and running candidates and publishing books and newpapers. The biggest weapon they had was a printing press, not a machine gun as these terrorists had. Then they lost no only their freedom, but any licenses and property that they had.

      1. randyjet – I realize you are a Communist and must support the cause, but hundred of communists did not go to jail. And the CPUSA was dangerous, both the above ground movement (which included the writers who went to prison) and the under ground (which included the Rosenbergs).

  17. Screaming at women with big purses and children is quite normal behavior for some women clerks. I wonder, how is it that a business can continue to operate with 99.9 % of its reviews speaking negatively of a crazed fat female clerk?

  18. Karen, This “Jayvee” will move from military to civilian to children. And, it will be done in the near future. They must be stopped by any means necessary. This is what the 2016 election will be about. Your dad has taught you well and he should be proud.

  19. @NickS

    Is there something in the cheese up there??? Some kind of mold maybe that causes borderline behavior?

    Anyway, back on topic, this brat had it made in a material sense. I think he just fell for propaganda the same way Dylann Roof did. People in their young 20’s want the world to make sense, and sometimes they shoehorn reality into their fantasies. Good riddance to this particular piece of bad rubbish, I just read somewhere the FBI said it was “terror related.”

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

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