Army Chief Of Staff Worried About Anti-Muslim Backlash (VIDEO)

In the wake of the horrific massacre at Ft. Hood, Army command is beginning to express concerns about a potential backlash against Muslim members of the military.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey told CNN on Sunday that the last thing he would like to see result from this tragedy is anti-Muslim activity or the loss of diversity in military ranks.

"You know, there's been a lot of speculation going on and probably the curiosity is a good thing," said Casey of accused killer Nidal Malik Hasan. "But we have to be careful because we can't jump to conclusions now based on little snippets of information that come out. And frankly, I am worried -- not worried, not worried, but I'm concerned -- that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers and I've asked our army leaders to be on the look out for that. it would be a shame -- as great a tragedy as this was -- it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well."

"What happened at Fort Hood was a tragedy," Casey said, during a separate appearance on ABC's "This Week." "But I think it would be an even greater tragedy if it [affected] our diversity."

Speculation about Hasan's motives, he fretted, "could potentially heighten the backlash against some Muslim soldiers.

Asked whether he thought there was discrimination against Muslims in the military before the Fort Hood incident, he replied: "No I don't think so. I worry that the speculation could cause things that we don't want to see happen."

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Comments

[AnAmerican123]

Moderate US Muslims need to step-up and identify these embedded jihadist. They need to take a stand to defend and protect the United States. If they don't and they are aware ofthese people among us ... then they are just as guilty as those who commit these jihad acts. If you're truly an American, then defend your country!!!!!

[AnAmerican123]

What's amazing is Casey seems more concerned with the backlash against Muslims in the military than the families that lost their love ones to this jihadist or defending aginst another attack on US soil. I thought he swore and oath to defend the United States and our Constitution? What is happening to our US military leadership? The military can deal with any internal backlash ... Casey's job is to defend the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic ... first and formost!!!

[skatoolaki]

(...continued)

Violence is part of many religions, and their histories are often colored with as much bloodshed as good works. Wars have been fought over religion and religious beliefs for centuries, and radical, fringe members of all of the main, organized religions give the larger group a bad name. Most Christians are not violent people or evangelical zealots, just as I believe most Muslims are not violent martyrs.

It would be wrong to treat Muslim soldiers differently or take away any of their rights because of what one sick individual did, regardless of how horrible his lone act was.

The fact is, if Hasan had been a radical Christian who believed, for example, in the lunatic preachings of Westboro Baptist Church and decided to go on a murderous rampage because he believed our country was "evil" for allowing gay people to exist, have rights, etc. and all of the other things Westboro is against (which is just about everything; their God is a "God of hate" they say) this conversation would not be even happening. If he were a Christian, even a hate-filled, fear-mongering disciple of a radical, fringe sect - no one would be discussing the possibility of a backlash against Christian soldiers. Hasan would be seen as anomaly and his act a horrible but rare and random occurrence that had little to no chance of being repeated.

[skatoolaki]

I worry about the same.

Already I have heard people make comments about Hasan's religion.

Yes, he was a Muslim. Yes, it appears he had radical interpretations of that religion. Does that mean his religion is to blame for his actions? No. Does that mean that regular, practicing Muslims who are not radical zealots are to blame for his actions? No.

A backlash is likely inevitable, but I do hope that the military has the sapience to realize that this was an isolated event. Hasan was obviously mentally disturbed and would have found one reason or another to act out in this violent matter, I believe, regardless of his religious beliefs. I would hope that Muslims are not unfairly judged because of one person's actions, or treated differently because of one very rotten apple in a group of millions.

Violence is, if we are going to be honest about it, prevalent in every religion. The Christian Bible has many recorded acts of violence against man for conceived "wrongs", punishment often meted out by their God himself. That is not to say the religion itself is violent or that its moderate or regular adherents are so either. I believe the same can be said for the Muslim religion.

(more...)

[IMEHO]

I disagree to a certain extent, Nadal had every right to be outraged about the illegitimate wars in Iraq, Bush and Cheney were war criminals IMHO. However as I said I do feel some moderate Muslims don't come out as strongly as they should against the radical elements. Gays face discrimination and persecution however if a gay officer suddenly shot 13 people and lets say one of them happened to be Muslim I'm sure that man or woman wouldn't appreciate hearing about all the others groups, Muslim, Hindu etc that have done the same thing from places like GLAAD. The moderate Muslim community always plays relativism and they are correct but it doesn't take away that what Nadal did was wrong. Also it would help if the non-radical imams came out and made statements discouraging people from joining the radical groups.

Nadal had every right to protest the war, join anti-war movements and leave the army because of loss of human life but he didn't have the right to shoot thirteen people.

[CosmicChaos]

The Millitary needs more Mental Health Professionals. Not only for the soldiers, but for the Mental Health Professionals as well.

Overworked in any profession can make a person snap. Add Discrimination and a stressful situation on top of it and any person would risk going over the edge.

Not just the Millitary but all professions need to start hiring again. The few people I know who still have jobs are stressed past the breaking point trying to do the jobs of 5+ people and failing due to reality. Then they get beaten up by their Management for not being able to do the impossible.

[AmandaBC]

Mental health in the US is an expensive PRIVILEGE reserved to those who can afford it. Even worse, preventive mental health is virtually non-existent.

[jp5472]

Absolutely!! Perfectly stated.

[hezrez]

That's a non sequitur of the highest order. You are talking about a doctor on an army base surrounded by colleagues who specialize in mental health. His problem was hardly due to lack of access to healthcare. Let's not trivialize this murderers actions by confusing the issue.

[tucsoncindy]

I hate to say it but we have Fox News to thank for another hate filled rant against this time...
Our American Soldiers. As usual all BS. The question is why did this Soldier Snap.

[dem 01]

Something new here by RS

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/30794989/the_fort_carson_murder_spree

The mainstream media is silent ..... even HP is silent

[tucsoncindy]

Heart renching story. This is a must read post...It is Viet Nam all over again. PTSD is a reality
and the VA has not done much in helping these wounded Soldiers. If not addressed we will
have another generation of wounded warriors.

Thank you for the link.

[skatoolaki]

Thank you for this important link.

[hezrez]

PTSD IS a reality... but not for Nidal Hasan. He never saw combat and was never overseas. He is not the "victim" of our military industry. He cleaned out his apartment and left a phone messgae saying "goodbye" to a friend. He is reported to have shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire. He allegedly had grave misgivings about the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. All signs lead to a premeditated murder spree based on religious convictions. Let's leave PTSD out of this conversation.

[FHTB]

I think the military has more than a problem on its hands, not with this obviously mentally deranged man, but with others who are at the end of their ropes because of these wars...I think you have a slew of ticking timebombs walking around as a result...if you have a soldier who is so angry and so fed up with being deployed, or cannot in all honesty fulfill the mission he was sworn to do, then the military need to start weeding out these disaffected people quickly before they do harm to themselves, as has happened, or to others, as has happened also...yes, these men have seen things that can make someone go off the deep end, sadly, but for everyone's safety, their neuroses needs to be paid attention to and not ignore just because you need bodies to fill important jobs.

[supertim]

if this guy is the senior military commander of the army, then he has nothing to be concerned about since he could order the troops not to proselytize or harass muslim troops, casey sounds more like a fox news contributor, than a military man

[fass]

The media needs to becareful talking about this. Most people in the media don't even know how the military function but yet everybody wants to come up with their own conclusion. this is a very dificult case and the army or the military have walk a fine line. I wish It was that easy. unfortunatly the military does not consist of only caucasion there are all type of people there. it is just like a big Pot of combo!

[LaceSky]

Who was Hasan's superior? Something weird about this story.

[Jahbundance]

cooking up a conspiracy are we?

[LaceSky]

Were there earlier signs of Hasan's desperate mental state or did he snap?

[MalloMel]

It's possible that the guy was just a psycho, but if this type of thing happens again, especially if there is another "Allah Akbar" in there, then all bets are off.

[FHTB]

The PC police ARE trying to deny the very real possibility that this man was incited by others to commit this...not saying that there are others planning attacks within US, not saying that at all. But, as I have cited elsewhere here, the man attended a mosque where a very radical imam was preaching vehment and hostile ideas about US, and where 9/11 suspects were also attending that mosque at the same time as Nadal, in 2001. This kind of link cannot be denied, and Homeland Security Committee is investigating...it would be great to imagine this guy was a "lone wolf" and dismiss his lunacy as all in his own warped mind, but it is also a sad, and unfortunate reality that cannot be ignored that there may have been some who helped fuel his insanity and set him over the edge, and I am not talking possible harrassment (more than likely his own paranoia) or his distaste for battling other Muslims.

[AmandaBC]

"The PC police ARE trying to deny the very real possibility that this man was incited by others to commit this..."

Meanwhile the REAL police have investigated every possibility, and if they have found no evidence of any links of Hasan to Islamic terr0rism is because most likely there isn't anything to be found. But then again those with a religious and/or r.acial agenda aren't really interested in FACTS...

[IMEHO]

The moderate Muslim community is going the same way the C.a.tholic Church did in the nineties with the subject of pedophilia.

The C.a.tholic Church told people that all priests were not pedophiles they were correct.
They also mentioned all the other professions that attracted pedophiles like the teaching profession etc and they were right

But eventually people got tired of the defensive and wanted pro-active on the C.atholic Church's part, like ex-communicating these priests and informing the police when kids came with a complaint and eventually the church was sued, the parents didn't want to hear about how their kids are as likely to be abused at schools or with the boy scouts etc.

I mean if Nadal had gone for example to the imam with this, the imam needed to tell him that Islam is not a religion of violence and any acts done in the name of Islam that are violent is wrong.

Moderate Muslims need to stop playing the comparison game and saying its not them we know this. We know not all Muslims are radical and every other religion has their radical extremes but like the Catholic church it doesn't help when this is the first response rather than total condemnation of the actual act.

You wouldn't need to worry about backlash if you distanced yourselves and your religion away from it. An imam stating that no act of violence could ever be in the name of Islam.

[Jakealoper]

This talk about yet another non existent Muslim backlash is utter bilge. A jihadist murders 13 fellow soldiers and all most of the liberals here can talk about is his non-existent PTSD and the non-existent backlash. Even the Muslim serviceman group said it received no complaints or threats lately so this post is just ginning up unmerited sympathy

[FHTB]

I also think that this man was deeply disturbed, and it would have been very easy for him to imagine that others were persecuting him as part of his mental illness...also, a backlash wil grow more intense if what is mentioned in this Sunday Telegraph pans out as indicating Nidal had any kind of ties to a radical cleric or 9/11 suspects...one can only hope this is not the case, but I am afraid that the "lone wolf" had some coaching:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html

[skatoolaki]

I have no sympathy for Hasan.

I do have sympathy for Muslims who will be condemned because of one lone psycho's actions, just as I do for Christians when some evangelical nutcase blows up an abortion clinic killing innocent people or a Catholic priest molests a young child.

To judge many by one is never right, but we are prejudicial in this society and it tends to happen. I have sympathy for Muslim soldiers who, very well, may receive some backlash from this even though they are innocent of any wrong-doing and have been betrayed by not only a brother-in-arms, but also someone of their own faith.

Backlash is never "non-existent". Just in my workplace, since this happened, I have heard people making disparaging remarks about Muslims because of Hasan's actions and his religion - people cannot seem to disassociate the two.

Everywhere I turn I am hearing "backlash" and negative comments about Islam and this being a "terrorist attack". The truth is, this is going to happen and ignoring it won't make it go away nor does acknowledging it "drum up sympathy" for Hasan, but rather the innocents who will be judged for one sick person's horrific acts.

[IMEHO]

I agree with Nadal's viewpoint that the wars the USA is fighting is against innocet people. However I disagree with radical imam's teaching him, that the people in Iraq are his brothers. In all honesty most people in Iraq would properly swop places with Nadal in a heartbeat. His religion doesn't link to the people in Iraq, his humanity does as it should if the USA was fighting a Christian country illegally. AS I said more moderate imams should come out strongly against the radical elements.

[hezrez]

You are right about the unavoidable "backlash" - when a muslim man perpetrates murder after shouting "Allahu Ahkbar" it is not unreasonable to expect some sort of reaction. Disparaging remarks are one thing and should not be tolerated but it's a little hard to swallow the part about having sympathy for the hypothetical victims of this "backlash" when families are attending funerals for the actual victims of this tragedy. In fact, it may be exactly this fear of offending innocent muslims in general that allowed this one crazy man to commit such a heinous act in the first place and besmirch the religion further. We cannot be afraid of recognizing dangerous extremism when we are confronted with it, no matter what religion it is associated with.

[OliverTwist]

It all seems so similar to Columbine.

[AmandaBC]

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were reportedly atheist. And yes, they did make an issue of that, by yelling "go meet your god" before sh00ting many of the victims. Does it mean we atheists/agnostics are all potential terr0rists and need to be specially screened?

[Jakealoper]

Spare me, you write like you have been asleep for the last 8 years. Since this article is about a fictional anti-Muslim backlash, was there an anti-Goth/Atheist backlash after Columbine?

[IMEHO]

In all honesty I feel the moderate Muslim community is taking the same stance the Catholic church did during the nineties with the pedophilia issue and it didn't help the Catholic Church prevent backlash and if the moderate Muslim community doesn't change its tactics then it won't help them either.

The Catholic Church informed everybody
that all priests weren't committing this crime (which was true)
they also informed people about all the other professions that had pedophiles for example the teaching professions (which was true)

Eventually people got tired and sued the church for the lack of proactivity on their part from ridding themselves or distancing themselves from the few rotten apples, like ex-communicating the priests and calling the cops when they recieved reports from some of the children about certain priests.

[fbr79]

So the mentality of two teenagers in a high school, and a college graduate, 39 year old, Army Major are the same?

Atheists don't have any "holy" books filled with instructions to kill people who don't follow their believes either.

[billhodges]

In his nationally televised remarks following the horrendous killings at Ft. Hood, President Obama never mentioned the T word. The attack was an act "of violence." No mention of terrorism.

In fact, the Ft. Hood shooting is the first terror attack on American soil since 9-11. But Obama, reluctant to take the rap for inadequate protections against such attacks, is doing everything he can to make it look like an adult version of the Columbine school shootings. We are treated to stories about the killer's dread of being sent back to Afghanistan and his deformed personality.

But, the fact is that Major Nidal Malik Hasan jumped on a table, yelled "Alah Hu Akhbar" and began the shooting rampage that killed 13 people and wounded 30 more.

Ilana Freedman, CEO and Senior Analyst for the Gerard Group International, which provides intelligence analysis for business and homeland security, describes Hasan as a "lone wolf terrorist" who acts without apparent coordination with any other person or organization. But that does not make him any less of a terrorist.

[FHTB]

This is where this Sunday Telegraph also reinforces the un-PC aspects of this story that so many just don't want to acknowledge:


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html

in some respects, this man does fit the profile of a serial killer: loner, no girlfriend, socially inept...on other hand, his behavior just before the attack does seem to point to, at least, a one-man jihad...