TO ASSUME HASSAN'S INTENTIONS MOTIVIATED BY ISLAM IS A MISTAKE

I prefer to take the moment and sincerely thank those heroes of Fort Hood who readily put their lives in harm's way so that I and my children can live in safety.

Ahmadiyya Times | Staff News
By Qasim Rashid, Richmond | November 10, 2009
Letters to the Editor | The Washington Post

Every soldier in our military takes a solemn oath to protect our nation against attacks, foreign and domestic. Nov. 5, 2009, will be remembered as a day when, sadly, our military was forced to protect our nation from a domestic attack. As we mourn the passing of 13 of our departed, we celebrate the soldiers and civilians who took action to resolve this crisis.

[The assumption] that the accused gunman's intentions have been tied to his faith is disappointing. It would be a dire mistake to believe his motivation had anything to do with the teachings of Islam. Just as Timothy J. McVeigh had nothing to do with Christianity, so does Nidal Malik Hasan have nothing to do with Islam.

Rather than pointing the finger at any religion for the actions of a disturbed individual, I prefer to take the moment and sincerely thank those heroes of Fort Hood who readily put their lives in harm's way so that I and my children can live in safety.

Qasim Rashid, Richmond

Read more here: FAITH AND THE SHOOTING AT FORT HOOD