Lone Jihadism or Military Stress? Fort Hood Serial Killer Still Alive

In what has become an all too common & tragic occurrence, a lone gunman opened fire at a military processing center in Fort Hood, Texas. When the gunfire was over, 12 people lay dead and 31 others were wounded. The wounded gunman identified as Major Malik Nadal Hasan - an Army Psychiatrist who had recently been transferred from a post at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. to Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, was shot & wounded on the scene by civilian police. While at Walter Reed, Hasan had received a poor performance evaluation prompting the transfer to Darnall.

Two other men were arrested in connection with the shooting and were later released. It has not been determined yet whether Hasan acted alone or had any accomplices. Fort Hood operates as a closed post meaning that anyone that enters the base even if they are in the Military, is screened and checked for weapons to ensure the safety of the over 50,000 people that make Fort Hood their home or place of work.

At this time, authorities have not revealed too much information regarding what may have triggered the incident. A few people have come forward with information that may shed light on Hasan's state of mind prior to the shooting. What is known so far is that Hasan was born & raised a Muslim. it appears that he had expressed his desire not to go to Iraq or Afghanistan on many occassions to some of his peers. He had also complained on other occassions about being harrassed about his race and had gone as far as hiring an attorney to try and stop the harrassment.

In an interview with a co-worker, it was revealed that Malik was known to have made statements to say such things as Muslims should not be fighting Muslims. He felt that Muslims should stand up to America and fight the aggressor. If this is true, it is a very disturbing and troubling development. Anytime one of our soldiers loses their life in the battlefield it is somewhat more understandable as hard as it may be. To think that some of our young men & women returning home after their tours of duties, were killed by one of their own because of political & religious motives - is treasonous and unforgiveable.

This type of act is not without precedent. Earlier this year, Pvt. William Long was shot down and killed by a Muslim convert outside an Arkansas Army Recruitng center. Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad had targeted Army personnel “because of what they had done to Muslims in the past". Hasan apparently had empathized with Muhammad and felt that he was being treated unfairly. He went as far as to say that perhaps more Muslims should strap bombs around their bodies and kill more Americans to get their message across.

I would hope that along with sending his prayers to the families of the slain, President Obama condems this act forcefully and call out Muslims direcly if this turns out to be an act of lone jihadism against our military. The last time this sort of incident occured, the WH was almost apologetic in it's remarks and if this is the tone this President is going to use - expect more of these incidents to continue to take place.

In the weeks to come, we will learn more about the shooter and his motives. For now, let's all send our prayers and condolensces to the families of these brave young men & women who gave their life serving our country.

Additional Reading:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/05/muslim-arab-groups-condem_n_347777.html

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/16590