Ismail's Ax Theories

Much discussion has ensued the past 24 hours over the meaning of Ismail's Ax.

What might "Ismail Ax" mean?

One theory spreading across the Web speculates that it comes from a story in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, about Ibrahim and his son, Ismail.

In Islam, Ibrahim is the father of the prophets and, upset that people in his hometown still worshiped idols and not Allah, he smashed all but one statue in a local temple with an ax. Ibrahim's son is Ismail, who also became a prophet. Ibrahim is Arabic for Abraham, who plays a significant role in Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

This theory picked up speed because many bloggers wondered if the actions at Virginia Tech could be related to terrorism.

Trust me, it wasn't just bloggers who were concerned this was related to terrorism. Virtually anyone who has a pulse thought terrorism the instant they learned of this massacre.

Two theories come from literature, where Ismail is spelled Ishmael.

In James Fenimore Cooper's novel "The Prairie," Ishmael Bush is known as an outcast and outlawed warrior, according to an essay written in 1969 by William Goetzmann, a University of Texas history professor. In Cooper's book, "Bush carries the prime symbol of evil -- the spoiler's ax," the professor wrote.

Also, the narrator from "Moby Dick," Ishmael, is considered an enigma who is well educated yet considers his time on a whaling ship worthy of time at Yale or Harvard, according to education site Sparknotes.com.

Cho Seung Hui was an English major at Virginia Tech.

AJ Strata has some more thoughts on Ismail Ax, and also offers speculation here on Cho's religion.

Virginia Tech Killer ID'd

The Virginia Tech killer has been identified as Seung Hui Cho, a Korean national. See Hot Air for the latest via ABC News.

Seung Hui Cho, a permanent resident of the United States, a Korean national and a Virginia Tech student has been identified as the gunman in the shootings that left 33 people dead on the Virginia Tech campus Monday, ABC News has learned.

The student left a "disturbing note" before killing two people in a dorm room, returning to his own room to re-arm and entering a classroom building on the other side of campus to continue his rampage, sources said.

Cho's identitiy has been confirmed with a positive fingerprint match on the guns used in the rampage and with immigration materials. It is believed that he was the shooter in both incidents yesterday. Sources say Cho was carrying a backpack that contained receipts for a March purchase of a Glock 9 mm pistol, sources said. Witnesses had also told authorities that the shooter was carrying a backpack. Sections of chain similar to those used to lock the main doors at Norris Hall, the site of the second shooting that left 31 dead, were found inside a Virginia Tech dormitory, sources confirmed to ABC News.

Reaction from all over this morning and throughout the overnight hours.

At the Washington Times, Stacy McCain has an update from his original post yesterday with plenty of blog reactions.

Meanwhile, sorting out the facts of the frenzied events will take time, but accounts of heroism amidst the tragedy are surfacing.

One of the victims has been identified as a Professor from Israel.

Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, threw himself in front of the shooter, who had attempted to enter his classroom. The Israeli mechanics and engineering lecturer was shot to death, "but all the students lived - because of him," Virginia Tech student Asael Arad - also an Israeli - told Army Radio.

Read the rest.

American Spectator has A Disarmed Campus.

Read the New York Post editorial, which harshly criticizes the administration at Virginia Tech.

AJ Strata has The Tech Massacre and Iraq.

Other reaction at Riehl World View, Michelle Malkin, Stuck on Stupid, Tel-Chai Nation, Wizbang!, Memeorandum, A Blog For All.