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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