Making sense of the Fort Hood tragedy

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It has been a very devastating few days for the community of Ft. Hood, Texas. On November 5, Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan went on a shooting rampage, killing 13 people. A majority of his victims who are wounded are still in the hospital, their conditions ranging from stable to critical. According to published reports, Hasan was a military psychologist and the reason for his shooting rampage was that he was scheduled for deployment in Afghanistan and he couldn't take it any more. He was showing signs of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

As I watched the events, I knew it was going to be open season on Muslims, specifically those who are serving in the military. Within 48 hours of the attack of Ft. Hood, the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has had numerous threats and complaints on both their website and at their North Texas campus alone. Plus, countless islamic organizations like CAIR have come out to condemn Hasan's actions and saying that Islam never condones such violent and senseless acts .

However, there are bigger issues besides Hasan's religious beliefs. This attack exposes the millitary's lack of preparedness when it comes to soldiers suffering from PTSD. Hasan was showing countless signs that mentally as well as psychologically he was not ready to deploy for Afganistan. The Ft. Hood tragedy is only the list of disaters the US military can rack up in their failure to treat soldiers with PTSD. Another example is the Ft. Carson murders in which 14 soldiers have been convicted of murder since 2005; in all of these cases these solider were suffering from PTSD caused by their multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afganistan. The bigger question is what is the military doing to help these soldiers. The answer to this what soldiers call the "cookie-cutter treatment" where they are given antidepressants after waiting hours for a 20 minute session with their doctor.

Even though PTSD does not excuse these soldiers actions, it does make me realize that the military is partly responsible for the downfall of these soldiers by not providing adquate counseling, support, and treatment. The military can say all they want they are working in the best intrest of their soldiers, but their actions are proving otherwise.

May Allah Bring Peace and Blessing

Muslimah