Ft. Hood Shooter Held In Contempt By Military Judge For Refusing To Shave Beard

According to YNN Austin, a military judge yesterday held accused Fort Hood mass shooter, Maj. Nidal Hasan, in contempt for refusing to shave his beard that he is wearing for religious reasons. The military judge previously ruled that Hasan's beard violates military grooming regulations and disrupts court proceedings. (See prior posting.)  Last month, the court excluded Hasan from the court room and relegated him to watching the hearings in his case on closed circuit television in a trailer outside the court house. (See prior posting.) Yesterday Military Judge Col. Gregory Gross fined Hasan $1000. Hasan continued to insist on keeping his beard, saying that shaving it would signify rejection of an important tenet of Islam.  The court suggested that it might order Hasan to be forcibly shaved once the important parts of his trial begin so Hasan can be in the court room.