After they finished cowering in fear, most Washingtonians scratched their heads over the unexpected earthquake that shook the city and much of the East Coast at 1:51 p.m. Tuesday. But one online Islamist says there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for the quake: It was a punishment from Allah.

According to a posting titled “Allah’s punishment on Americans” on the Shoumokh Al-Islam jihadi forum by someone writing under the name Abu Ibrahim, “Allah has struck New York and the capital city Washington by an earthquake as a punishment for their disbelief.” (RELATED: Trembling with laughter: Top 10 tweets from D.C. quake)

“Such a little earthquake that measured 6.0 has terrified the tyrant American people and forced them to leave their houses and places of work,” Ibrahim continued. The posting was provided to The Daily Caller by The Middle East Media Research Institute, which reasonably noted that it doesn’t find Ibrahim’s rantings particularly important.

Given the minimal damage and the fact that no one lost his life as result of the quake, it is probably fair to assume that the quake was only a minor punishment from Allah. But within that minor punishment, wrote Ibrahim, is a major warning.

“[T]his earthquake is a warning to the crusaders to stop their infidel policy, abandon their crusader religion and convert to the true Islamic religion,” Ibrahim explained. “If they don’t listen and don’t stop, Allah will strike them again by an earthquake or a hurricane. You have no other way but to repent and move away from your path that will take you to the abyss.”

Hurricane Irene is currently hurtling toward the East Coast.

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