Judge: Fort Hood suspect could be forcibly shaved

Undated photo of Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 Fort Hood shootings / AP Photo/Bell County Sheriff's Department via The Temple Daily Telegram

(AP) FORT HOOD, Texas - An Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood will be forcibly shaved if he doesn't remove his beard himself, a judge said Wednesday.

Maj. Nidal Hasan appeared in court Wednesday sporting a beard as he did during a court appearance last month. The beard violates Army regulations, but Hasan said it is an expression of his Muslim faith.

The judge, Col. Gregory Gross, held Hasan in contempt of court for keeping the beard and fined him $1,000. Fort Hood spokesman Chris Haug said Gross gave Hasan the choice to shave on his own or be forcibly shaved sometime before his court-martial begins Aug. 20.

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Hasan, 41, is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the November 2009 shootings. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Until last month, he had been clean-shaven every time he attended court.

But since Hasan grew a beard, he and one of his attorneys have watched the pretrial hearings on closed-circuit television in a trailer near the courthouse. He refuses to shave, and Gross has indicated that Hasan might have to watch the court-martial from the trailer as well.

But on Wednesday, Gross said he wanted Hasan in the courtroom to prevent a possible appeal on the issue if Hasan is convicted, Waco television station KWTX reported.

It was not immediately clear what Hasan and his attorneys would do. The hearing was in recess after Gross found Hasan in contempt.

Hasan's defense attorneys argued that he had not shaved in observance of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, KWTX-TV reported. Ramadan is expected to end just before the trial starts.

[nohater]

if it were my decision, he would have been executed by now by military firing squad. fortunately for him, the decision is not mine. he will live many, many years more while his victims turn to dust. he deserves to die now.

[CaptainSmollett]

So Hasan says the beard is an expression of his faith...
Murdering was also an expression of his faith, so does that make it okay? NO.

[stormerF69]

just provide him with a bottle of nair as shampoo,problem solved.

[diamruby]

He is a murderer & a coward, he deserves to die slowly & painfully. No mercy, you get what you give in life, there is no "God", no afterlife, no virgins in the sky!!! Too bad you worship an evil myth. You are lower than a snake. You have no right to practice anything, too bad us tax payers must pay for your medical, lawyers, & any other basic needs you have.

[MagnaCartaUK]

Islam, (according to its teachings), preaches peace. This man, like so many others who think they can do as they please, has violated his own faith, but more importantly, as the law of any given country is superior to any other, then he'll do as he's told or it will be done for him. Good decision by this judge, the Law of the Land is above all other - whether those who think it doesn't apply to them like it or not.

[jacsprats]

they should just pull the hair off from his face, why make it easy?

[stormerF69]

Scabbies,and he'd shave,to get rid of the little buggers.

[o3whatever]

Well then.. if your like any other muslum that's wants to sprout a big beard for allah.. you can by all means do so.. right after your convicted as a military officer in the deaths of US military service members... and as a side note.. for any paying attention.. that guy they found in the bunker and hanged.. what was his name saddam.. yeah that's him.. for the three (3) months he disappeared and that big ol bushy allah beard he was sport'n.. get some of his tonic..

[w_roos]

Tie him down and shave it off. Let's cut the BS.

[FP1970]

Why not just behead him in honor of Shariah law? And then deport or detain every other known Islamist before it's too late? Or do you prefer to let the Islamist 5th column in America get stronger and stronger?

[AOCGUY]

Could be because we don't practice Sharia in this country nor should we allow the dispicable actions of a few to cause us to deginerate into a third world nation where the rule of law that millions of American fighting men and women have sacrificed to protect is discarded in the name of vengence.

[MilitaryRetiree]

Sounds great to me.....or, shave this bastard with a dull razor.

[inbethlehem]

My advice to this jackass is to stop worrying about your beard, and start worrying about the lipstick your roomate is going to make you wear in prison.

[inbethlehem]

Sorry Hasan. You left your right to wear a beard at the door when you joined the military.

P.S. I wouldn't fight too hard when they start shaving. Bad things can happen.