Ultimately, though, what infected his (Hassan’s) mind was a violent form of political Islam. The question is: why was he susceptible to this, but I wasn’t?

The difference is that I was blessed to have parents who taught me that I’m an American who happens to be Muslim, that my faith identity is important for my relationship with God, but my community identity is primarily related to being an American and having a faith and loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and our system of government. Never in my home did we refer to Syria as home, or say that our government was inferior to sharia law or the Islamic state. I joined the military because I felt a deep-seated obligation to give back to the country that gave me freedom that no other country gave.

I was taught the value of liberty. I saw no conflict between the fact that I prayed five times a day and that I would be prepared to give my life to protect the freedom of every citizen of this country, whether they’re atheist, Christian, Jewish or otherwise. I’m confident that that’s not the way or the reason that Dr. Hasan entered the military.

Political Islam is an outgrowth of modern secular fascism. In the Middle East, the mosque was the only place you could discuss politics safely, where the government wouldn’t touch you, so Islam became politicized. That’s the model that the Muslim Brotherhood followed and brought to the United States. They were the ones who built mosques.

This has been a frustrating thing for me as a Muslim activist. Many Muslims disagree with political Islam, but they’re not pressured to take on the mosque leadership. So you have discussions in the mosque going far beyond theology and the example of the Prophet; imams use the pulpit, or minbar as it’s called in Arabic, to discuss politics. I’ve sent this over and over again in mosques I’ve attended.

Thank you for writing this editorial. The anti-war effort is embarrasingly anemic on this campus. Perhaps your Op-Ed will change that by awakening students to the stark realities of war. Those still not dissuaded from joining the military should read Chris Hedges’ excellent book, “War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning.” The book is a first-hand account of Hedges’ experiences as a New York Times foreign correspondent, covering conflicts in Bosnia, El Salvador, and the Middle East.

Anyway, I really appreciated your editorial.

We have a military for a number of different reasons and there are many people who enjoy (Yes, I said enjoy) military life.

I’m indifferent when it comes to the service, but this piece on the decision to join the military is too shallow. It doesn’t bring up anything that hasn’t already been said many times before and it makes me wonder what the author is trying to convince us of. He isn’t relaying any new information.

Contrary to Veruca Salt, a military cannot be created in a matter of minutes. It is something that must be constantly maintained, for when it is needed it is already too late to start thinking about. Perhaps because there is nothing selfish about serving one’s country makes it a bitter pill for today’s average undergraduate, the undergraduate who thinks that they deserve everything outright, just because.

It is my opinion that the only thing that the author ought to be saying about the military is “Thank you. Thank you for doing this so that I don’t have to, so that I don’t have to be afraid.”

I’m not in the military, but I appreciate those who are and I wouldn’t discourage others from making that sacrifice precisely because, I don’t want to do it myself.

Finally, joining ROTC is nothing like enlisting in the military, nothing. The author is incorrect to assert that ROTC will tell you when to eat, sleep, and flush.

ROTC is a great way to find out if you like military life, and you might just like it. You might not make money, but you will certainly improve yourself both physically and mentally, regardless of whether you ever go to war or not. If you do go to war it will be because you decided to go, not because anyone tricked you into it. The last thing that the military wants is people who do not want to be there, bringing down morale.

Please get the facts, author. It is hard to believe that this article was even written considering the impetus was on campus ROTC recruitment, not enlistment.

But THIS morning one of the first things I heard was this quote from Bryan Fischer:

“The more devout a Christian is, the more patriotic he is. The more devout a Muslim is, the more of a threat he is to national security.” This apparently is Mr. Fischer’s way of saying that Muslims need to be purged from the U.S. military.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Yes, it seems to be the dawning of a new era in conservative Christian McCarthyism.