Prejudice, Denial and Fort Hood We mustn't jump to conclusions--but neither should we go astray for fear of reaching them.
"We don't know all the answers yet," the Associated Press quotes President Obama as saying Friday about the Fort Hood massacre. "And I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts."
Not only is the president right, his advice is tautological. Premature judgment is ill-advised by definition. But one senses in much of the commentary about suspect Nidal Malik Hasan a desire to avoid considered judgment as well--not just a reluctance to jump to conclusions, but a drive to go far out of one's way to avoid ever reaching one particular conclusion.
"It is unclear what might have motivated Major Hasan," the New York Times reports this morning. "He seems to have been influenced by a mixture of political, religious and psychological factors." A Times story yesterday suggested that Hasan was driven crazy by the stress of his job as a psychiatrist:
"Major Hasan's motives are still being investigated. But those who work day in and day out treating the psychological wounds of the country's warriors say Thursday's rampage has put a spotlight on the strains of their profession and of the patients they treat. . . .
"Many military [mental health] professionals, meanwhile, describe crushing schedules with 10 or more patients a day, most struggling with devastating trauma or mutilated bodies that are the product of war and the highly advanced care that kept them alive.
"Some of those hired to heal others end up needing help themselves. Some go home at night too depressed to talk to their children. Others, like Bret A. Moore, a former Army psychologist at Fort Hood, ultimately quit."
That's informative, isn't it? Some, some and others, respectively, do something, something else and another thing. It occurs to us, though, that only one military psychiatrist is alleged to have committed mass murder. Is there anything else might set him apart from his peers?
Here's one clue, from London's Guardian: The gunman "allegedly shouted 'Allahu Akbar,' or 'God is greatest,' as he opened fire." The paper's Michael Tomasky helpfully explains:
"The fact that Hassan reportedly shouted the above is meant, I suppose, to imply that he was an extremist fanatic.
"I'm not sure that it does. My understanding is that it's something Arab people often shout before doing something or other."
So, to recap: Some end up needing help. Some go home depressed. Others quit. Still others do something or other! And if they're Arab, they "often shout," according to Tomasky. But although we do not wish to jump to conclusions, we should point out that they do not often shoot dozens of people, and that doing so could be taken as evidence of being an "extremist fanatic."
Here's another straw in the wind, from London's Daily Telegraph:
"Hasan worshipped at a mosque led by a radical imam said to be a "spiritual adviser" to three of the hijackers who attacked America on Sept 11, 2001.
"Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt . . . .
"The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and backing terrorist organizations.
"Hasan's eyes "lit up" when he mentioned his deep respect for al-Awlaki's teachings, according to a fellow Muslim officer at the Fort Hood base in Texas, the scene of Thursday's horrific shooting spree."
The Middle East Media Research Institute last month excerpted a blog post from al-Awlaki's Web site in which he cheerleads for America's enemies:
"America failed to defeat the mujahedeen when it gave its president unlimited support, how can it win with Obama who is on a short leash? If America failed to win when it was at its pinnacle of economic strength, how can it win today with a recession--if not a depression--at hand?
"The simple answer is: America cannot and will not win. The tables have turned and there is no rolling back of the worldwide Jihad movement."
Today al-Awlaki has a post titled "Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing":
"Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people. This is a contradiction that many Muslims brush aside and just pretend that it doesn't exist. Any decent Muslim cannot live, understanding properly his duties towards his Creator and his fellow Muslims, and yet serve as a US soldier. The US is leading the war against terrorism which in reality is a war against Islam."
The Sunday Telegraph reports that Hasan "once gave a lecture to other doctors in which he said non-believers should be beheaded and have boiling oil poured down their throats":
"He also told colleagues at America's top military hospital that non-Muslims were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire. The outburst came during an hour-long talk Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, gave on the Koran in front of dozens of other doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington DC, where he worked for six years before arriving at Fort Hood in July . . . .
"Fellow doctors have recounted how they were repeatedly harangued by Hasan about religion and that he openly claimed to be a 'Muslim first and American second.'
"One Army doctor who knew him said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim soldier had stopped fellow officers from filing formal complaints."
In light of all this, consider the following insight from Susan Campbell of the Hartford Courant:
"Much has and will be made of [Hasan's] religion from people too ignorant to read a Qur'an, or too isolated to talk to a Muslim, or too stubborn to educate themselves. Even the Washington Post calls him a "devout Muslim." But can a "devout Muslim" commit such acts? No more than a "devout Christian" can, no."
In fairness to Campbell, she posted this on Friday, before much of the above information had been published. Still, it seems fair to ask: Just who is jumping to conclusions?
At the root of this sort of denial is a fear of anti-Muslim backlash--not an unreasonable worry, as Forbes.com's Tunku Varadarajan argues:
"Muslims are the most difficult "incomers" in the ongoing integration challenge, which America has always handled with pride--and a kind of swagger. We're the salad bowl/melting pot. Drive through Queens to see how we do this.
"America differentiates itself on integration from Western European countries, which are far more cringing and guilt-driven in their approach. But can the American swagger persist if many Americans come genuinely to view Muslims as Fifth Columnists? The integration compact depends on a broad trust that the immigrant's desire to be American can happily co-exist with his other forms of racial/cultural/religious identity. Once that trust doesn't exist, America faces a problem in need of urgent resolution.
"Have we reached that point of breakdown in trust? Not yet, I think, and not by some distance; but a few more murderous incidents of the Maj. Hasan variety--a few more shouts of "Allahu Akbar" as Americans are shot dead--will push many Americans on to a dangerous cusp."
Some are there already: Since the Fort Hood massacre, this columnist has heard more than one acquaintance make invidious anti-Muslim generalizations.
But Susan Campbell-style denial is merely the mirror image of such prejudice. It is as stupid to exonerate "Islam" for crimes committed in the name of Islamic supremacy as it is to issue a blanket condemnation of the faith or its adherents. It's a pointless argument in which each side's ignorance serves mainly to inflame the other's.
Preventing future such attacks will require a vigilance that was lacking among the officers who reportedly feared "appearing discriminatory against a Muslim soldier." Servicemen will need to understand the difference between vigilance and being discriminatory--a distinction with which too many journalists seem to have difficulty.
> Prejudice, Denial and Fort Hood > We mustn't jump to conclusions--but neither should we go astray for fear of > reaching them.
> "We don't know all the answers yet," the Associated Press quotes President > Obama as saying Friday about the Fort Hood massacre. "And I would caution > against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts."
> Not only is the president right, his advice is tautological. Premature > judgment is ill-advised by definition. But one senses in much of the > commentary about suspect Nidal Malik Hasan a desire to avoid considered > judgment as well--not just a reluctance to jump to conclusions, but a drive > to go far out of one's way to avoid ever reaching one particular conclusion.
> "It is unclear what might have motivated Major Hasan," the New York Times > reports this morning. "He seems to have been influenced by a mixture of > political, religious and psychological factors." A Times story yesterday > suggested that Hasan was driven crazy by the stress of his job as a > psychiatrist:
> "Major Hasan's motives are still being investigated. But those who work day > in and day out treating the psychological wounds of the country's warriors > say Thursday's rampage has put a spotlight on the strains of their > profession and of the patients they treat. . . .
> "Many military [mental health] professionals, meanwhile, describe crushing > schedules with 10 or more patients a day, most struggling with devastating > trauma or mutilated bodies that are the product of war and the highly > advanced care that kept them alive.
> "Some of those hired to heal others end up needing help themselves. Some go > home at night too depressed to talk to their children. Others, like Bret A. > Moore, a former Army psychologist at Fort Hood, ultimately quit."
> That's informative, isn't it? Some, some and others, respectively, do > something, something else and another thing. It occurs to us, though, that > only one military psychiatrist is alleged to have committed mass murder. Is > there anything else might set him apart from his peers?
> Here's one clue, from London's Guardian: The gunman "allegedly shouted > 'Allahu Akbar,' or 'God is greatest,' as he opened fire." The paper's > Michael Tomasky helpfully explains:
> "The fact that Hassan reportedly shouted the above is meant, I suppose, to > imply that he was an extremist fanatic.
> "I'm not sure that it does. My understanding is that it's something Arab > people often shout before doing something or other."
> So, to recap: Some end up needing help. Some go home depressed. Others quit. > Still others do something or other! And if they're Arab, they "often shout," > according to Tomasky. But although we do not wish to jump to conclusions, we > should point out that they do not often shoot dozens of people, and that > doing so could be taken as evidence of being an "extremist fanatic."
> Here's another straw in the wind, from London's Daily Telegraph:
> "Hasan worshipped at a mosque led by a radical imam said to be a "spiritual > adviser" to three of the hijackers who attacked America on Sept 11, 2001.
> "Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, > attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in > 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday > Telegraph has learnt . . . .
> "The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni > scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in > August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and > backing terrorist organizations.
> "Hasan's eyes "lit up" when he mentioned his deep respect for al-Awlaki's > teachings, according to a fellow Muslim officer at the Fort Hood base in > Texas, the scene of Thursday's horrific shooting spree."
> The Middle East Media Research Institute last month excerpted a blog post > from al-Awlaki's Web site in which he cheerleads for America's enemies:
> "America failed to defeat the mujahedeen when it gave its president > unlimited support, how can it win with Obama who is on a short leash? If > America failed to win when it was at its pinnacle of economic strength, how > can it win today with a recession--if not a depression--at hand?
> "The simple answer is: America cannot and will not win. The tables have > turned and there is no rolling back of the worldwide Jihad movement."
> Today al-Awlaki has a post titled "Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing":
> "Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living > the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting > against his own people. This is a contradiction that many Muslims brush > aside and just pretend that it doesn't exist. Any decent Muslim cannot live, > understanding properly his duties towards his Creator and his fellow > Muslims, and yet serve as a US soldier. The US is leading the war against > terrorism which in reality is a war against Islam."
> The Sunday Telegraph reports that Hasan "once gave a lecture to other > doctors in which he said non-believers should be beheaded and have boiling > oil poured down their throats":
> "He also told colleagues at America's top military hospital that non-Muslims > were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire. The outburst came > during an hour-long talk Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, gave on the Koran in > front of dozens of other doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in > Washington DC, where he worked for six years before arriving at Fort Hood in > July . . . .
> "Fellow doctors have recounted how they were repeatedly harangued by Hasan > about religion and that he openly claimed to be a 'Muslim first and American > second.'
> "One Army doctor who knew him said a fear of appearing discriminatory > against a Muslim soldier had stopped fellow officers from filing formal > complaints."
> In light of all this, consider the following insight from Susan Campbell of > the Hartford Courant:
> "Much has and will be made of [Hasan's] religion from people too ignorant to > read a Qur'an, or too isolated to talk to a Muslim, or too stubborn to > educate themselves. Even the Washington Post calls him a "devout Muslim." > But can a "devout Muslim" commit such acts? No more than a "devout > Christian" can, no."
> In fairness to Campbell, she posted this on Friday, before much of the above > information had been published. Still, it seems fair to ask: Just who is > jumping to conclusions?
> At the root of this sort of denial is a fear of anti-Muslim backlash--not an > unreasonable worry, as Forbes.com's Tunku Varadarajan argues:
> "Muslims are the most difficult "incomers" in the ongoing integration > challenge, which America has always handled with pride--and a kind of > swagger. We're the salad bowl/melting pot. Drive through Queens to see how > we do this.
> "America differentiates itself on integration from Western European > countries, which are far more cringing and guilt-driven in their approach. > But can the American swagger persist if many Americans come genuinely to > view Muslims as Fifth Columnists? The integration compact depends on a broad > trust that the immigrant's desire to be American can happily co-exist with > his other forms of racial/cultural/religious identity. Once that trust > doesn't exist, America faces a problem in need of urgent resolution.
> "Have we reached that point of breakdown in trust? Not yet, I think, and not > by some distance; but a few more murderous incidents of the Maj. Hasan > variety--a few more shouts of "Allahu Akbar" as Americans are shot > dead--will push many Americans on to a dangerous cusp."
> Some are there already: Since the Fort Hood massacre, this columnist has > heard more than one acquaintance make invidious anti-Muslim generalizations.
> But Susan Campbell-style denial is merely the mirror image of such > prejudice. It is as stupid to exonerate "Islam" for crimes committed in the > name of Islamic supremacy as it is to issue a blanket condemnation of the > faith or its adherents. It's a pointless argument in which each side's > ignorance serves mainly to inflame the other's.
> Preventing future such attacks will require a vigilance that was lacking > among the officers who reportedly feared "appearing discriminatory against a > Muslim soldier." Servicemen will need to understand the difference between > vigilance and being discriminatory--a distinction with which too many > journalists seem to have difficulty.
On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 17:26:49 -0800 (PST), Alim Nassor
<alimnas...@yahoo.com> wrote: >On Nov 10, 9:17 am, "da pickle" <jcpickels@(nospam)hotmail.com> wrote: >> Is this a fair and balanced assessment?
>> Prejudice, Denial and Fort Hood >> We mustn't jump to conclusions--but neither should we go astray for fear of >> reaching them.
>> "We don't know all the answers yet," the Associated Press quotes President >> Obama as saying Friday about the Fort Hood massacre. "And I would caution >> against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ ----------------------------- Here is a roundup of media accounts, trying to imagine how and why this happened.
Nidal "Gary" Hassan - All-American boy haunted by memories of Gitmo, 'Nam, Hiroshima
INEVITABLY, ANOTHER SOLDIER SNAPS
Distraught pacifist conscientious objector tormented by horrors of war, as far as you know Newsroom experts: stress, violence, stupidity, tragedy a way of life for GIs Former M*A*S*H stars say it's finally time to disarm the military
Hollywood insiders: Sean Penn early favorite for lead in planned Oliver Stone biopic
-------------------------------------------------- LOS ANGELES TIMES
Nidal Hassan - not a fan of taxes
Fort Hood: Another Black Eye For Teabagger Movement
Connecting the dots: 2006-8 Tax returns show anti-government extremist carefully itemized deductions Like many Town Hall protesters, Hassan motivated by rage, pattern baldness Phone records: suspect tried to join Hair Club for Men Tearful Pelosi pushes Congress for Government takeover of Tea Party movement
Investigation: Ft. Hood Killer Had Access to Fox, Talk Radio, Right-Wing Blogs
Receipts show killer's apartment had cable '03 Nissan registered to Hassan had AM radio Sources: Despite 17 citations as Countdown's 'Worst Person In The World,' FBI failed to detain Limbaugh Defiant Palin rejects calls to apologize
-------------------------------------------------- THE WASHINGTON POST
Reverend Nidal Hassan say Gimme that Old Time Religion
Fundamentalist Religion Seen As Motive in Ft. Hood Massacre
Devout churchgoer evangelized conservative views Shooter's former Virginia home was mere hours from Jerry Falwell compound What did Tilton, Swaggert, Osteen know?
Did Violent Video Games, Rap Lyrics Drive Killing Spree?
Video: Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario Cart remain on shelf at Fort Hood PX Lil' Wayne goes One-on-One with Wolf Blitzer Larry King Live Special tragedy coverage with panelists Nancy Grace, David Hasselhoff, Joan Collins
From Fort Hood to Waco to Dealey Plaza to Bush Compound, death is a way of life in the Lone Star State Statistic: Texas still lags in access to public broadcasting Download Morning Edition's exclusive in-depth podcast, complete with mournful banjo dirge interlude
> The Sunday Telegraph reports that Hasan "once gave a lecture to other > doctors in which he said non-believers should be beheaded and have boiling > oil poured down their throats":
> "He also told colleagues at America's top military hospital that non-Muslims > were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire. The outburst came > during an hour-long talk Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, gave on the Koran in > front of dozens of other doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in > Washington DC, where he worked for six years before arriving at Fort Hood in > July . . . . > "One Army doctor who knew him said a fear of appearing discriminatory > against a Muslim soldier had stopped fellow officers from filing formal > complaints."
Sorry, but I find the above completely incredible. If anything like this had occurred in my prescence I would have made sure something was done about it or raised a high, holy stink trying.
Maybe a lot of people here should consider wondering about the accuracy of all the quite prompt news reportage.
> On Nov 9, 7:17 pm, "da pickle" <jcpickels@(nospam)hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Is this a fair and balanced assessment?
> Change the title to "Petroleum, Denial and Fort Hood".
The real title should be "Rush to Whitewash at Ft. Hood". This was a terrorist attack by a radical muslim on American soil. He murdered 13 American soldiers and wounded 30+ others. The guy has a repeated history of defending suicide bombers, he sent radical anti-American E-mails and messages. His fellow officers knew he was a radical but were too afraid to report him because criticizing a muslim could have damaged or ended their own careers. It is political correctness taken to the level of pure insanity. We have a President who won.'t even say the words "muslim terrorist" as our soldiers bury their dead and treat their wounded. And what does the American general in charge fear most? That there might be a back lash against muslims. This whole incident is a disgrace and again demonstrates what a weak, indecisive and ineffective commander in chief Obama really is.
BTW, I love the line Susan posted. "President Obama has decided to commit 40,000 more troops to the war - against Fox News.
> "The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni > scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in > August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and > backing terrorist organizations.
<a9db...@webnntp.invalid> wrote: >On Nov 9 2009 8:17 PM, da pickle wrote:
>> "The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni >> scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in >> August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and >> backing terrorist organizations.
So would you say that al-Awlaki DIDN'T back terrorist organizations and support attacks on British troops?
>And thus the newest Muslim boogeyman is born.
He certainly doesn't qualify as a boogeyman. Boogeymen only hide under children's beds to scare them in the middle of the night.
> On Nov 10, 9:17 am, "da pickle" <jcpickels@(nospam)hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Is this a fair and balanced assessment?
> > Prejudice, Denial and Fort Hood > > We mustn't jump to conclusions--but neither should we go astray for fear of > > reaching them.
> > "We don't know all the answers yet," the Associated Press quotes President > > Obama as saying Friday about the Fort Hood massacre. "And I would caution > > against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts."
> > Not only is the president right, his advice is tautological. Premature > > judgment is ill-advised by definition. But one senses in much of the > > commentary about suspect Nidal Malik Hasan a desire to avoid considered > > judgment as well--not just a reluctance to jump to conclusions, but a drive > > to go far out of one's way to avoid ever reaching one particular conclusion.
> > "It is unclear what might have motivated Major Hasan," the New York Times > > reports this morning. "He seems to have been influenced by a mixture of > > political, religious and psychological factors." A Times story yesterday > > suggested that Hasan was driven crazy by the stress of his job as a > > psychiatrist:
> > "Major Hasan's motives are still being investigated. But those who work day > > in and day out treating the psychological wounds of the country's warriors > > say Thursday's rampage has put a spotlight on the strains of their > > profession and of the patients they treat. . . .
> > "Many military [mental health] professionals, meanwhile, describe crushing > > schedules with 10 or more patients a day, most struggling with devastating > > trauma or mutilated bodies that are the product of war and the highly > > advanced care that kept them alive.
> > "Some of those hired to heal others end up needing help themselves. Some go > > home at night too depressed to talk to their children. Others, like Bret A. > > Moore, a former Army psychologist at Fort Hood, ultimately quit."
> > That's informative, isn't it? Some, some and others, respectively, do > > something, something else and another thing. It occurs to us, though, that > > only one military psychiatrist is alleged to have committed mass murder. Is > > there anything else might set him apart from his peers?
> > Here's one clue, from London's Guardian: The gunman "allegedly shouted > > 'Allahu Akbar,' or 'God is greatest,' as he opened fire." The paper's > > Michael Tomasky helpfully explains:
> > "The fact that Hassan reportedly shouted the above is meant, I suppose, to > > imply that he was an extremist fanatic.
> > "I'm not sure that it does. My understanding is that it's something Arab > > people often shout before doing something or other."
> > So, to recap: Some end up needing help. Some go home depressed. Others quit. > > Still others do something or other! And if they're Arab, they "often shout," > > according to Tomasky. But although we do not wish to jump to conclusions, we > > should point out that they do not often shoot dozens of people, and that > > doing so could be taken as evidence of being an "extremist fanatic."
> > Here's another straw in the wind, from London's Daily Telegraph:
> > "Hasan worshipped at a mosque led by a radical imam said to be a "spiritual > > adviser" to three of the hijackers who attacked America on Sept 11, 2001.
> > "Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, > > attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in > > 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday > > Telegraph has learnt . . . .
> > "The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni > > scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in > > August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and > > backing terrorist organizations.
> > "Hasan's eyes "lit up" when he mentioned his deep respect for al-Awlaki's > > teachings, according to a fellow Muslim officer at the Fort Hood base in > > Texas, the scene of Thursday's horrific shooting spree."
> > The Middle East Media Research Institute last month excerpted a blog post > > from al-Awlaki's Web site in which he cheerleads for America's enemies:
> > "America failed to defeat the mujahedeen when it gave its president > > unlimited support, how can it win with Obama who is on a short leash? If > > America failed to win when it was at its pinnacle of economic strength, how > > can it win today with a recession--if not a depression--at hand?
> > "The simple answer is: America cannot and will not win. The tables have > > turned and there is no rolling back of the worldwide Jihad movement."
> > Today al-Awlaki has a post titled "Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing":
> > "Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living > > the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting > > against his own people. This is a contradiction that many Muslims brush > > aside and just pretend that it doesn't exist. Any decent Muslim cannot live, > > understanding properly his duties towards his Creator and his fellow > > Muslims, and yet serve as a US soldier. The US is leading the war against > > terrorism which in reality is a war against Islam."
> > The Sunday Telegraph reports that Hasan "once gave a lecture to other > > doctors in which he said non-believers should be beheaded and have boiling > > oil poured down their throats":
> > "He also told colleagues at America's top military hospital that non-Muslims > > were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire. The outburst came > > during an hour-long talk Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, gave on the Koran in > > front of dozens of other doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in > > Washington DC, where he worked for six years before arriving at Fort Hood in > > July . . . .
> > "Fellow doctors have recounted how they were repeatedly harangued by Hasan > > about religion and that he openly claimed to be a 'Muslim first and American > > second.'
> > "One Army doctor who knew him said a fear of appearing discriminatory > > against a Muslim soldier had stopped fellow officers from filing formal > > complaints."
> > In light of all this, consider the following insight from Susan Campbell of > > the Hartford Courant:
> > "Much has and will be made of [Hasan's] religion from people too ignorant to > > read a Qur'an, or too isolated to talk to a Muslim, or too stubborn to > > educate themselves. Even the Washington Post calls him a "devout Muslim." > > But can a "devout Muslim" commit such acts? No more than a "devout > > Christian" can, no."
> > In fairness to Campbell, she posted this on Friday, before much of the above > > information had been published. Still, it seems fair to ask: Just who is > > jumping to conclusions?
> > At the root of this sort of denial is a fear of anti-Muslim backlash--not an > > unreasonable worry, as Forbes.com's Tunku Varadarajan argues:
> > "Muslims are the most difficult "incomers" in the ongoing integration > > challenge, which America has always handled with pride--and a kind of > > swagger. We're the salad bowl/melting pot. Drive through Queens to see how > > we do this.
> > "America differentiates itself on integration from Western European > > countries, which are far more cringing and guilt-driven in their approach. > > But can the American swagger persist if many Americans come genuinely to > > view Muslims as Fifth Columnists? The integration compact depends on a broad > > trust that the immigrant's desire to be American can happily co-exist with > > his other forms of racial/cultural/religious identity. Once that trust > > doesn't exist, America faces a problem in need of urgent resolution.
> > "Have we reached that point of breakdown in trust? Not yet, I think, and not > > by some distance; but a few more murderous incidents of the Maj. Hasan > > variety--a few more shouts of "Allahu Akbar" as Americans are shot > > dead--will push many Americans on to a dangerous cusp."
> > Some are there already: Since the Fort Hood massacre, this columnist has > > heard more than one acquaintance make invidious anti-Muslim generalizations.
> > But Susan Campbell-style denial is merely the mirror image of such > > prejudice. It is as stupid to exonerate "Islam" for crimes committed in the > > name of Islamic supremacy as it is to issue a blanket condemnation of the > > faith or its adherents. It's a pointless argument in which each side's > > ignorance serves mainly to inflame the other's.
> > Preventing future such attacks will require a vigilance that was lacking > > among the officers who reportedly feared "appearing discriminatory against a > > Muslim soldier." Servicemen will need to understand the difference between > > vigilance and being discriminatory--a distinction with which too many > > journalists seem to have difficulty.
|
