God forgive us, now a priest has killed himself because we are irrational. People, keep an eye out for public demands that a "Moderate Muslim" step forward to apologize for his suicide and declare that it is not a Qur'anic injunction to scare priests to suicide through our mere existence. Then keep an eye out for said "Moderate Muslim" to chastise the rest of us for not coming forward and speaking out against this terrible ontological crime!
Germany ponders pastor's grisly suicide
By BRIAN MURPHY, AP Religion Writer 34 minutes ago
We know this much: The 73-year-old pastor's last sermon focused on his fear that Christian Europe would be overwhelmed by Islam.
A few weeks later, at one of the most important Lutheran landmarks, the Rev. Roland Weisselberg soaked himself in gasoline and set himself ablaze.
He left no suicide note, and the meaning of his final words is still the subject of conjecture.
But in a time when Christians and Muslims in Europe lurch from one crisis to the next, the poetry-quoting, retired Lutheran minister is being proclaimed a self-martyr  the latest victim in a growing conflict between the cross and the crescent.
"What's sad is that many people are so quick to believe that he killed himself to protest Islam. They want to believe it," said Bishop Christoph Kaehler, who leads the German Protestant Church in the eastern Thuringia state, which includes historic Erfurt, where the 16th-century Reformation trailblazer Martin Luther took his first religious vows.
"Weisselberg has become a magnet for fears and suspicions about Muslims," Kaehler said. "It's an unfortunate lesson in how tense things have become."
Germany has felt that uneasiness in many ways recently.
Last month, a Turkish-born lawmaker sought protection from death threats after calling Islamic head scarves a symbol of oppression of women.
In Berlin, an opera company has become Europe's latest freedom of expression flash point. A planned production of Mozart's "Idomeneo" outraged Muslims with a scene depicting the severed heads of the Prophet Muhammad along with other religious figures including Jesus and Buddha.
Pope Benedict XVI used a speech at a German university in September to decry violent trends in Islam, setting off a maelstrom of protests around the world. The German pontiff is scheduled to begin a visit to Turkey on Nov. 28 in his first papal trip to a mostly Muslim nation.
Weisselberg was not a silent bystander.
He wrote letters to newspapers, venting on a range of topics. Most were packaged around his belief that European Christians had become too meek and separated from the faith's bold history  such as Luther's famous call for spiritual renewal, which helped stir the Protestant Reformation.
Weisselberg's writings and conversations also were peppered with literary references, especially to the 19th-century German poets Heinrich Heine and Friedrich Holderlin, whose works were influence by the conquests of Napoleon.
In his last sermon in late September  called from retirement to fill in for an absent minister  Weisselberg said Christians in Europe must unite or risk being overrun by Islam in generations to come.
Then, on Oct. 31, he walked through the stone arches of the St. Augustine Monastery, a place where from 1505 to 1511 Luther lived, studied and took monastic vows. A morning service was under way for Reformation Day, the anniversary of Luther's famous 95 Theses, which helped inspire the Protestant break from Rome.
Police say Weisselberg cut through a gap between a hedgerow and a metal fence circling a construction pit for a new library  on a site where more than 250 people died during Allied air strikes near the end of World War II.
Weisselberg pulled out a canister of gasoline hidden under his coat. An instant later, he was ablaze. Witnesses told authorities he cried two words: "Jesus" and "Oskar"  considered a reference to the Rev. Oskar Bruesewitz, who set himself on fire in 1976 as an apparent protest against the communist East German regime.
Weisselberg died the following day. No formal suicide note was found. But his widow  who has refused to speak publicly  told a church official that her husband left behind a letter describing his angst over Islam's rising power in Europe.
Within hours, Weisselberg's story was being told and retold as an act of self-martyrdom.
Anti-Muslim groups across Europe have exalted his name. Christian Web sites have given him top billing  in a repeat of the global cyber-eulogies for an Italian missionary, Sister Leonella Sgorbati, who was gunned down in Somalia in September in possible retaliation to the pope's comments on Islam.
"In the absence of any clear reason, people will form their own judgments," said Lothar Schmeltz, curator of the St. Augustine Monastery. "In this case  and in these times  it's easy to see this as one man's lonely fight against Islam."
In the monastery's main church, tributes to Weisselberg have been left on a small wooden table near towering stained glass windows. Amid the wilting flowers and votive candles is a wreath with a message on a yellow ribbon: "We hope this act bears fruit."
"He had planned the time, the place and even planned his own funeral," said the Rev. Uwe Edom, who succeeded Weisselberg at a suburban parish outside Erfurt following his retirement in 1989. "Why on earth did he not tell us precisely why he would take his own life? It now leaves it open for any interpretation and abuse. Weisselberg's legacy is now one of a cry against Islam, even if he wanted that or not."
Ironically, Weisselberg's death occurred in a place where Islam is still barely noticeable.
Unlike Berlin and other major urban centers in western Germany, the former East Germany has only recently become host to significant numbers of Muslim immigrants. The West opened its doors to a huge flow of so-called "guest workers," mostly from Turkey, during the postwar reconstruction while Erfurt and other cities moved into the Soviet orbit behind the Berlin Wall. On Friday, the pope urged Catholics in Germany to seek "spiritual dialogue" with the nation's more than 3 million Muslims.
Only an estimated 1,000 Muslims are among the 200,000 people in Erfurt, now a mix of post-unification malls and hotels amid an architectural bounty of carefully preserved Gothic-style buildings and medieval churches.
In Weisselberg's neatly kept suburb, Windischholzhausen, one of his former parishioners claimed he's never had a conversation with a Muslim. But he feels a kinship to those who raise alarms about Islam's swelling voice in Western Europe, where France and Germany contain the largest Muslim communities.
"The reverend was worried that Islam would eventually push Christians out of Europe," said Wolfgang Seifert, 70. "I don't agree with his suicide, but I agree with his message. I understand these fears."
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Hey! We're the only ones supposed to commit suicide for Islam. We can't even keep that for ourselves, anymore. The West even has to take that away from us! [this is sarcasm, lest anyone take it seriously...]
- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.
The Unintentional Jihadi. I wonder if the pastor was surprised to see the 72 virgins afterwards.
I think this is a positive step. No middle men in Islam. So if the enemies of Islam blow themselves up, it will certainly be one less PR problem.
Buzz Kill
Unfortunately, there is this trend to convict people on their intention to commit a crime alone so perhaps we should be worried about mass convictions any minute now.
Unfortunately, Khaled Abou El Fadl played a part in the scare tactics that wrongly convicted this man. KAEF seems to be honestly disturbed by the outcome of the trial. I give him the benefit of the doubt that he sees the value of justice by means of due process over and above justice as he sees it no matter how understandable.
I cannot help but reflect ironically on the last line of this story, "'The reverend was worried that Islam would eventually push Christians out of Europe,' said Wolfgang Seifert, 70. 'I don't agree with his suicide, but I agree with his message. I understand these fears.'"
I think it was established that Hayat attended jihadi training. Concerning convicting people for "intendeding" to do a crime: Laury, surely you're not saying that people trained in a jihadi camp are NOT the enemy? They should not be hunted down when they come/return to the US? Being a member of the enemy's groups whwn we are at war IS a crime in itself.
- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.
The death of the pastor is a crime perpetrated by the proponents of the psychology of fear. What a shame!
Salam alaikum,
 If you read the article, he was not convicted for attending a terrorist training camp, whatever that means. (It apparently can include a place where people play paint ball, according to the US Attorney's office in the Eastern District of Virginia, but that's another issue.) Khaled's testimony was critical in another case involving four hapless Arab men in the Detroit area. Since there was no evidence of an actual terrorist plot, the "evidence" was tapes in the apartments of the defendants. KAEF testifed, essentially, that the content of those tapes was consistent with the defendants being jihadis. They were initially convicted, then later the verdict was overturned as a result of prosecutor misconduct.
The larger problem is that federal judges are NOT applying the law of evidence fairly in these cases. Under the federal rules, a judge is not to admit otherwise relevant evidence if its inflammatory potential exceeds any probative value. Having books by authors such as Mawdudi or Sayyid Qutb can be (and are) used by prosectutors to inflame jurors into thinking that the defendant is a terrorist. Making this leap is precisely why judges should be excluding such evidence from courtrooms. . .
I testified for the defense in a case involving a minor figure in the tempest in a teacup conspiracy known as the "paint-ball conspiracy." This poor fellow was accused of being in a conspiracy to provide material support to lashkar e-tayba in Pakistan for their fight against the Indians in Kashmir. The prosecution entered into evidence lots of stuff from the guy's personal library to get the jurors to think he was a terrorist. Under the law, they should not be able to make that inference based on that evidence, but the prosecution uses it because they have no concrete evidence of an actual crime. In this case, the alleged act was sending paintballs to Pakistan.
Same thing in the Lodi case -- the principle evidence used by the prosecution against the defendant -- who by all appearances, looks like someone with borderline intelligence -- was a piece of paper with the text of a du'a. That's it.
These prosecution strategies amount to religious inquisitions, pure and simple. That's why I think a lot of people lost respect for KAEF for agreeing to testify for the government in these matters, not because we are pro-Qaida, but because the courtroom should not be used to make theological arguments. The courtroom should be limited to vindicating the law, not to score points in a theological debate.
Was-salam,
Mohammad Fadel
Yah, OG, I got a thing about due process. We do not honor the law only when it serves our personal interests. We must honor the law especially when our own interests go against it. In part that is what the law is there for, to restrict our personal interests in the name of a greater justice. In this way the law protects us from ourselves. I am likewise disturbed that courts are establishing what should be considered acceptable interpretations of Islam. According to Winnifred Sullivan's _The Impossibility of Religious Freedom_ this is all courts have ever done (hence the title). The only thing we can do, it seems, is refuse to define any center of interpretation as *the center* (which is what KAEF was doing, unwittingly or not). Crimes are crimes. We do not need to have the courts establish an acceptable religious doctrine to properly determine whether or not a crime has been committed. And yes, preserving constitutional rights is worth dying for (should your feared Jihadis get loose and wreak havoc by means of due process). As a former Marine, you must grasp that point.
Well Laury, if it was determined that he did *NOT* attend a camp, then no case. Books in a home library as evidence is indeed absurd. Beleiving in jihadism isn't a legal crime (a moral crime, in my eyes given the contemporary distortions as to what jihad is). Yet, attending military training or making plans to do so sponsored by the enemy is a crime and I can only be grateful that the courts think so as well. (planning to go, which shows clear intent; should we wait until thier return when they may already be a part of 9-11, part deux?) Same thing with the Lackawana guys. Poor judgement or "borderline intelligence" is not a free pass; Richard Reid was also "borderline" and that didn't stop him from trying to inanely detonate explosives in his shoe!
- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.
Hey if the pastor wanted to go out like that, more power to him. Reminds of the old Michael Jackson pepsi commercial.
He was probably thinking more along the lines of the Buddhist Monk protesting the Vietnam war. But I'd agree with you that the absurdity of his public reason for it is more like the Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial. To carry on the absurdity and make Mike Muir's song "Institutionalized" the official song of this news story.... (in honor of DA who had the good idea to post songs)
Suicidal Tendencies, "Institutionalized"
Sometimes I try to do things and it just doesn't work out the way I wanted to.
I get real frustrated and I try hard to do it and I take my time and it doesn't work out the way I wanted to.
It's like I concentrate real hard and it doesn't work out
Everything I do and everything I try never turns out
It's like I need time to figure these things out
But there's always someone there going
Hey Mike:
You know we've been noticing you've been having a lot of problems lately.
You know, maybe you should get away and maybe you should talk about it, maybe you'll feel a lot better
And I go:
No it's okay, you know I'll figure it out, just leave me alone I'll figure it out. You know I'll just work by myself.
And they go:
Well you know if you want to talk about it I'll be here you know and you'll probably feel a lot better if you talk about it.
And I go:
No I don't want to I'm okay, I'll figure it out myself and they just keep bugging me and they just keep bugging me and it builds up inside and it builds up inside.
So you're gonna be institutionalized
You'll come out brainwashed with bloodshot eyes
You won't have any say
They'll brainwash you until you see their way.
I'm not crazy - institutionalized
You're the one who's crazy - institutionalized
You're driving me crazy - institutionalized
They stuck me in an institution
Said it was the only solution
To give me the needed professional help
To protect me from the enemy, myself
I was in my room and I was just like staring at the wall thinking about everything
But then again I was thinking about nothing
And then my mom came in and I didn't even know she was there she called my name
And I didn't even hear it, and then she started screaming: MIKE! MIKE!
And I go:
What, what's the matter
And she goes:
What's the matter with you?
I go:
There's nothing-wrong mom.
And she goes:
Don't tell me that, you're on drugs!
And I go:
No mom I'm not on drugs I'm okay, I was just thinking you know, why don't you get me a pepsi.
And she goes:
NO you're on drugs!
I go:
Mom I'm okay, I'm just thinking.
She goes:
No you're not thinking, you're on drugs! Normal people don't act that way!
I go:
Mom just give me a Pepsi please
All I want is a Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me
All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me.
Just a Pepsi.
They give you a white shirt with long sleeves
Tied around you're back, you're treated like thieves
Drug you up because they're lazy
It's too much work to help a crazy
I'm not crazy - institutionalized
You're the one who's crazy - institutionalized
You're driving me crazy - institutionalized
They stuck me in an institution
Said it was the only solution
To give me the needed professional help
To protect me from the enemy, myself
I was sitting in my room and my mom and my dad came in and they pulled up a chair and they sat down, they go:
Mike, we need to talk to you
And I go:
Okay what's the matter
They go:
Me and your mom have been noticing lately that you've been having a lot of problems,
You've been going off for no reason and we're afraid you're gonna hurt somebody,
We're afraid you're gonna hurt yourself.
So we decided that it would be in your interest if we put you somewhere
Where you could get the help that you need.
And I go:
Wait, what do you mean, what are you talking about, we decided!?
My best interest?! How can you know what's my best interest is?
How can you say what my best interest is? What are you trying to say, I'm crazy?
When I went to your schools, I went to your churches,
I went to your institutional learning facilities?! So how can you say I'm crazy.
They say they're gonna fix my brain
Alleviate my suffering and my pain
But by the time they fix my head
Mentally I'll be dead
I'm not crazy - institutionalized
You're the one who's crazy - institutionalized
You're driving me crazy - institutionalized
They stuck me in an institution
Said it was the only solution
To give me the needed professional help
To protect me from the enemy, myself
It doesn't matter I'll probably get hit by a car anyway.
Let's think rationally here for a second, people. How can one say that the priest committed suicide BECAUSE "Muslims are scary" when he left no suicide note or communicated his reasons? Good journalism should reflect fact and NOT stipulation. This is a complete no-no in journalism (trust me, I was a journalist in training for several years). The title, in my opinion, is totally misleading.
It's like saying in an interview, "So, what did the priest do before he committed suicide, that may have led him to do so?" and a person responding "Well, he had some cake and talked about the problems of the youth and corruption & how that's upsetting, talked to his parents on the phone which has him down because they're both in nursing homes, took some of his anti-depressants, made a sermon about his fear of Islam taking over Europe, and.." and the journalist goes in his mind, "Boring, boring, boring, boring, BINGO" and picks the most controversial thing. This is how journalists are more or less trained to work. It's still "the truth" by mentioning the Islam thing, but it's hiding some of the other truths, and not technically "lying" so ethically it seems okay. But the public is not getting the full picture! I'm just using the dialogues as an EXAMPLE, it did not actually happen. But I hope you get my point! What the media tells you can often only be half the picture, or even less! Don't jump to conclusions in ignorance, without doing research on it first... don't be tricked by potentially misleading titles!
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