Politicizing the Tragedy at Fort Hood
La Opinión, Editorial, Staff, Posted: Nov 10, 2009
The tragedy at Fort Hood has overwhelmed the nation with sadness. The unexpected attack on soldiers by one of their own has shocked us all. It is hard enough to accept the loss of American lives in Iraq and Afghanistan but for more to be taken in an incident like the one last week is almost unfathomable.
A profile has gradually emerged of the alleged assailant, Army Major Nidal Hasan, a Muslim psychiatrist who apparently suffered a profound crisis that led him to commit this massacre. The nature of this crime warrants an in-depth investigation. It also calls for caution to avoid jumping to hasty interpretations.
As such, we are surprised that Senator Joseph Lieberman, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said the massacre could have been a terrorist attack and that he would begin a Senate investigation aimed at uncovering Hasan's motives. We believe the lawmaker’s statement is irresponsible and injects dangerous politicalization into what today is a human tragedy. One cannot help but wonder why, for the senator, an individual’s psychological crisis leading to a mass murder—something not alien to our society— would take on elements of terrorism if the perpetrator is Muslim.
Many versions are circulating about Hasan’s deep personal conflicts, from his religious beliefs to the mental stress of attending to wounded survivors of war to allegations that he was harassed by his fellow soldiers for being a Muslim. All of this and more must be investigated and clarified by the authorities before Congress gets involved in a hunt for terrorists.
There is no doubt that terrorism is a real threat and we must not let our guard down. We must be vigilant, but this should not lead to alarmism or paranoia.
We live in a diverse society and the Armed Forces reflect this tapestry of colors, religions, and origins. Here, patriotism has no single creed, and prematurely judging Hasan’s motives is unfair to Muslim-American soldiers who risk their lives alongside Christians, Jews, and others.
We share the pain of this moment and our condolences go to the families of the victims. This is a tragedy that should not be made worse by premature and irresponsable speculations.
Related Articles:
Ft. Hood Killings Are an Act of an Individual, Not an Entire Community
Arab American Media Fear Worsening Public Opinion After Ft. Hood
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User Comments
Samuel Anderson on Nov 11, 2009 at 17:15:38 said:
"The world needs to hear from the moderate Islamic communities. When the blasphemy laws are applied in countries such as Pakistan and non-Muslims are killed, are those keepers of the law being good Muslims or bad ones? The world needs to hear. When freedoms are so restricted in Islamic countries that no Muslim is allowed to disbelieve in Islam with impunity, is that a good Muslim law or a bad one? The freedom to believe -- or not -- is one of the most sacred privileges of the human mind. That freedom is taken away in the name of Islam. Statistics that indicate that Islam is growing are not an accurate reflection of the hearts of the people, because they really have no choice. Until those who are not Muslims are free to practice their faith in Muslim countries -- and those who seek to become Christians or choose another faith can do so with impunity -- Islam will never be free from the fear it can engender. I pray for such a day, when one's ultimate choice in life can be made without fear of terror and hate."
~Ravi Zacharias / Light in the Shadow of Jihad~
Aaron Aarons on Nov 11, 2009 at 10:21:19 said:
By any reasonable definition of the word, an attack on soldiers is not "terrorism". Even the Israelis don't call attacks on their soldiers "terrorism".
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