Opinion | Editorials
Muslims are not to blame
A religious community cannot be held accountable for actions of Texas gunman
- Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 November 8, 2009
In times of tragedy, anger can very quickly turn the search for reasons and explanations into a fearful witch-hunt for somebody to blame.
In the wake of the killing of 13 and the wounding of 38 at Fort Hood in Texas, there is a danger that the religion of Major Nidal Malek Hassan, the alleged gunman, will taint the whole Muslim community in the United States. This must not be allowed to happen.
What is known so far is that Hassan, an Army psychiatrist who had been regularly exposed to the horrors of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was apparently fearful about being deployed overseas. His orders to serve in a conflict zone might have triggered the shooting spree.
The US army has had previous cases where soldiers — of different beliefs but suffering from stress — have opened fire on their comrades.
For now, the voices of common sense and reason seem to be holding firm against those of the conspirators and racists. Led by US President Barack Obama, they have insisted that all the facts be investigated before any conclusions be reached.
Whatever the reasons, the shootings are the actions of one man and the Muslim community in the US cannot be held collectively responsible.
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