By G.A. Afolabi
While the news of the Ft. Hood shooting by Army Maj. Nadil Malik Hasan is shocking, it should not be surprising. Unfortunately workplace shootings are become a regular part of life in the United States. Hasan would not the first person to turn his guns on co-workers. Sgt. Hasan Karim Akbar was convicted for "fragging" two officers in 2003. There have been several incidents of stressed, harassed and downsized workers going on rampages against their co-workers. I wonder if this was a case of backlash against workplace harassment? This is what caused Klebold and Harris to commit their massacre at Columbine.
Hasan was a Muslim, which could not have been easy when we are fighting two wars in Muslim countries. Many Muslims perceive the War on Terror, as a war against Islam. One can only imagine how Hasan dealt with American troops, scarred by the war and probably harboring anti-Arab/Muslim feelings, being treated by an Arab Muslim doctor.
In addition, Hasan was recently moved to Ft. Hood, Texas, and Texas is not known as the most open-minded of places. There is no excuse for what Hasan did, but maybe this was more of a case of someone having a psychological breakdown, than an act of terrorism. My fear is that this will lead to a backlash against Muslims and Arabs. The right-wing media is already screaming that this was an attack by a sleeper agent and Muslim Americans cannot be trusted. The lunatics at far-right WND daily already claimed that Hasan was an adviser to the Obama administration. (This has been debunked.)
No comments:
Post a Comment