Newly unveiled information about San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook show that his older brother, Syed Raheel Farook, served in the Navy from 2003 to 2007 with distinction and left after having amassed a number of awards and decorations.
According to a Navy spokesperson who spoke with Buzzfeed News, the elder Farook’s awards included the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Unlike his younger brother, whose actions suggest he was an Islamic radical, the elder Farook was clearly a patriot who served proudly in the war against radical Islamic terrorism.
The dichotomy here is quite striking, though it does seem to argue against the claim by some that all Muslims are anti-American terrorists, assuming, of course, that the elder Farook is also a Muslim like his father and brother.