Muslims in the Military

I have been thinking about this since I began hearing coverage of the shooting this past week in Ft. Hood, Texas... however a discussion today on my favorite podcast (www.tbtl.net) prompted this response. Why is the media immediately making the assumption that the shooter in this horrible tragedy went crazy in the name of Allah? From what I know, this man received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from American institutions. He then chose to serve his country as a doctor in the military. Why on earth would this man go through 4 years of undergrad, 6+ years of medical training, and an entire career in the military for the sole purpose of killing American soldiers?

The media has also latched onto the fact that his religious leader was anti-american, and he joined in religious service with the 9/11 hijackers. He even contacted this religious leader for help with a research project on the effects of military service on muslim Americans. However there is nothing concrete at this point in time to link the motivation for this attack to a religious maniac. This is not to say that this point will not become better founded in the days to come. He may very well be a crazy man killing for his God, however this should by no means be a reflection on the greater Muslim-American community.

Furthermore, this attack should by no means be a negative reflection on the broader Muslim-American population. Apparently some people are calling for a ban on Muslims serving in the United States Military. This is an absolutely absurd notion that hearkens back to such American tragedies as the Japanese Internment and our obsession with seeing a Communist everywhere we looked. Learn from history and stop jumping to conclusions. Whatever his motives, this was simply a crazy guy carrying out an unthinkable attack on American citizens and soldiers.

On a final note, what is happening in our country! There have been shootings all around us this weekend. A man was shot by police (for murdering a policemen) only a block from my parent's house. Lets all put the guns away for a while, eh?

Cheers!