As of this writing, the public still doesn’t have all the details on the heartbreaking violence at Fort Hood. Police say Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is the suspect in the shooting spree, which killed 13 people and injured 30.
The motivations behind the shootings are still not clear – but already, a number of Internet commentators are trying to use the shootings to bolster stereotypes and encourage fear of all Muslims and Arab-Americans.
The shootings are sure to be a topic of discussion in classrooms in the coming days, and there are things you can do to set the record straight. The lesson plan "Who Are the Arab-Americans" helps students see beyond entrenched stereotypes. This short article from our guide, Speak Up!, offers ways to address the biased attitudes children pick up from adults and the media.
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It is very clear on what the
It is very clear on what the Major's motive was. It was a terrorist attack against our own military from within.
This is not rocket science people.
How do you know it was a
How do you know it was a terrorist attack? Maybe he was just angry. That is small minded thinking in an age when we are supposed to be smarter than ever before. It is sad that some people in a 3rd world country still think like people did in the middle ages.
It is imperative to avoid
It is imperative to avoid stereotyping others and it is important that we strive to be respectful and treat others as we would want to be treated... with love and dignity.
Treating others with love and dignity does not necessitate a passive and permissive attitude of acceptance about everything.
We can respect Nidal Malik Hasan and realize that he is a person like we are... We can open ourselves up to him (see Martin Buber's great work called I and Thou), but we can also begin to see that he was deceived. He executed a horrific act of violence.
For example, Ralph Peters wrote how this may be the worst act of terror on American soil since 9/11, and no one wants to call it an act of terror or associate it with Islam. Ralph Peters writes that Nidal Malik Hasan planned this attack, shouted "Allahu akbar!" ("God is great!") and executed others in cold blood. It seems that there were many red flags... According to Ralph Peters, Hasan posted anti-American hate speech on the Web (and I saw news reports of Hasan's connections to Jihad spiritual leaders); Hasan apparently praised suicide bombers using his own name, loudly criticized US policies, and argued (as a psychiatrist, no less) with his military patients over the worth of their sacrifices;...
With all these red flags we need to consider whether political correctness, hesitation, and cowardice prevented individuals from stepping in to prevent this tragedy. If we are most concerned with political correctness and tolerance as a permissive attitude of acceptance, then the first tragedy will be the massacre. The second tragedy may be how we respond.