Fort Hood Shootings, A Tragedy for All Americans
By Deanna Othman
As I turned on the television the afternoon of the Fort Hood shootings, scanning the airwaves for news programs as I always do, the remote froze in my hand when I began to discern what almost every anchor on every channel spoke 
about. As the details slowly emerged, and America discovered that 13 people had been brutally shot dead on American soil, in an American army base, by an American soldier, I believe I am not alone when I say my initial, knee-jerk reaction was, “Oh God, please don’t let this shooter be Muslim, please.”
Later that day, when I heard the shooter’s name, the bottom nearly fell out of my stomach. Here we go again, I thought. Back to square one.
Following the Sept. 11 attacks, the Muslim community has diligently and consistently struggled to repair and rebuild American society’s perception of Islam and where Muslims stand in relation to such heinous and reproachable acts of violence such as these. I hesitate to use the word terror, for the facts remain murky as to whether Maj. Hasan’s outrageous shooting spree was intended as an act of terror, or whether it was simply another case of a mentally unbalanced, disturbed individual releasing his psychotic inclinations on innocent people. Regardless of his intent, all American Muslims could foresee this man’s actions would be perceived by the greater society as a horrible reflection on their faith and on themselves.
American Muslim organizations and mosques swiftly issued statements condemning the actions of Hasan, realizing that, whether act of terror, brute aggression or psychosis, this man’s episode would be immediately equated with Islam by virtue of his name.
As I spoke to other Muslims like myself, who appear unmistakably Muslim either because of their name or the way they dress, many voiced their embarrassment. They struggled with feelings of humiliation and even self-doubt. How could we, as American-born, educated, Muslim professionals, be seen as anything other than potential terrorists by non-Muslims, when this man, appearing on the surface to be just like us in the eyes of others, perpetrated such a horrifying crime?
But Muslims can not allow these misgivings to affect us and lead us to hide our faith and our identities because we fear that others will interpret this as complicity in a crime we did not commit. Rather, it is the duty of practicing, morally and civically conscious Muslims to be seen and heard as relevant participants in American society. If the successful, law-abiding among us disguise themselves as something other than what they are, only the deviant among us will be distinguishable as Muslim. And we certainly know that the deviant among us have much more vocal PR teams publicizing their activities than the rest of us.
Unfortunately, the crime of Maj. Hasan reveals more about the dark side of human nature than it does about anything else. When God told the angels that He would be creating a human being and sending him to earth, they questioned Him, asking, “What! will You place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood, and we celebrate Your praise and extol Your holiness? He said: Surely I know what you do not know.” (Quran: chapter 2, verse 30).
To spill blood is not Muslim. It is not Christian. It is not Jewish. Tendencies toward violence and destruction demonstrate deviations of human nature—anomalies present in people of all colors and creeds.
Fortunately, many people have come to recognize this. I had several non-Muslim friends express their concern for our community after the shootings, inquiring whether we experienced any backlash, and articulating their support.
Maj. Hasan’s rampage was not a crime in the name of, or against, Islam, but a crime against humanity. Only when it is recognized as such can we move forward as Muslims, and as Americans.