Gitmo conversion...

[BVS]

He developed a strong relationship with the General, whose real name is Ahmed Errachidi. Their late-night conversations led Holdbrooks to be more skeptical about the prison, he says, and made him think harder about his own life. Soon, Holdbrooks was ordering books on Arabic and Islam. During an evening talk with Errachidi in early 2004, the conversation turned to the shahada, the one-line statement of faith that marks the single requirement for converting to Islam ("There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet"). Holdbrooks pushed a pen and an index card through the mesh, and asked Errachidi to write out the shahada in English and transliterated Arabic. He then uttered the words aloud and, there on the floor of Guantánamo's Camp Delta, became a Muslim.

The Gitmo Guard Who Converted to Islam | Newsweek National News | Newsweek.com

 

[deep]

Shocking

An American exercises freedom of religion

you'd think it was in the constitution or something.

 

[BVS]

It's just another Muslim we'll have to kill when Gitmo is shut down...

 

[A_Wanderer]

He sounds foolish, I wonder what he deserves if he ever leaves the faith

 

[Bluer White]

This is all about a confused kid, and not much else.

The poor parenting, the alcoholism, the hasty marriage, the Army discharge, the metal plate in head, etc. I'm just glad he's fighting the drinking problem.


The romantizing of the religious conversion is lost on me.

 

[yolland]

Other than as a human interest story about Guantánamo, I'm having a hard time understanding why this is even "news." So a guy had a religious conversion, big whoop. He became a Muslim, not a criminal or a militant or a dangerous subversive. What's the big deal?

 

[financeguy]

This is all about a confused kid, and not much else.

The poor parenting, the alcoholism, the hasty marriage, the Army discharge, the metal plate in head, etc. I'm just glad he's fighting the drinking problem.


The romantizing of the religious conversion is lost on me.

It's interesting to note the number of professed Christians with similar backgrounds, especially of the 'saved', conservative Christian variety.

Are you consistent in describing testimonies from saved Christians with troubled backgrounds as being all about confused kids, and not much else?

 

[HyperU2]

It's just another Muslim we'll have to kill when Gitmo is shut down...

I don't know where you get the idea that we want to kill all Muslims. Muslims are killing more Muslims than we are, and we've got better hardware for the job.

 

[Bluer White]

Are you consistent in describing testimonies from saved Christians with troubled backgrounds as being all about confused kids, and not much else?

Good question financeguy. I don't describe testimonies too often. When I do I take them with a grain of salt. No matter the faith.

I may have a slight bias against Islam. Maybe not. I don't think it applies to this particular article.

 

[BVS]

I don't know where you get the idea that we want to kill all Muslims.

I'm just talking about the ones from Gitmo they are automatically guilty. You taught me that. So I'm assuming he's guilty by association.

 

[deep]

Good question
I may have a slight bias against Islam. Maybe not.

ok then, say this out loud


"There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet"
.

...the one-line statement of faith that marks the single requirement for converting to Islam.
this will get you a place in the hereafter​

 

[yolland]

this will get you a place in the hereafter

Well, not necessarily...in Islam as in Christianity, there's a 'faith vs. works' dispute among different sects concerning one's "place in the hereafter."

Not that you were being particularly serious anyhow...