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Concern For 'Backlash' Against US Muslim Soldiers

by smkovalinsky | November 8, 2009 at 11:58 am

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“The speculation could heighten the backlash. . . What happened at Fort Hood is a tragedy and I believe it would be a greater tragedy if diversity became a casualty here.” ~General George Casey, Jr.; US Army Chief of Staff

“I mean does every soldier who shows discontent with the war and every soldier that has had a bad performance report — what are we going to do with those folks?” Sen. Graham said. “At the end of the day, maybe this is just about him. It’s certainly not about his religion, Islam.” He added: “To those members of the United States military who are Muslims, thank you for protecting our nation, thank you for standing up against the people who are trying to hijack your religion.” New York Times; November 8, 2009

Since the rampage Thursday at Fort Hood, there has been concern that there may be an ensuing backlash against Muslims serving in the US Military forces.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-SC) and Sen. Jack Reed, (D-RI) have both said that Muslims have served honorably in the military and have risked their lives to defend the U.S.

“At the end of the day this is not about his religion — the fact that this man was a Muslim,” Senator Graham said on a CBS political commentary earlier.

In additional news, Major Nidal Malik Hasan is being taken off his ventilator at the army hospital (VIDEO)

General George Casey Jr., the Army chief of staff, said on Sunday that he was concerned that speculation about the religious beliefs of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, accused of killing 12 fellow soldiers and one civilian and wounding 30 0thers in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, could “cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers.”

“I’ve asked our Army leaders to be on the lookout for that,” General Casey said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union. “It would be a shame — as great a tragedy as this was — it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well.”

General Casey used almost the same language in an appearance on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos,” an indication of the Army’s effort to ward off bias against the more than 3,000 Muslims in its ranks.

“A diverse Army gives us strength,” General Casey, who visited Fort Hood Friday, said on “This Week.”

At a news conference in Fort Hood, the Army announced that 16 of the wounded remained hospitalized, with seven in intensive care. Major Hasan, who was shot by a base police officer, was listed in stable but critical condition.

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a211423

at 12:06 on November 8th, 2009

“A diverse Army gives us strength,” General Casey, who visited Fort Hood Friday, said on “This Week.”

Thank you for posting this smk in view of the anti-Muslim sentiments that seem to be emerging.

Roy C

at 12:17 on November 8th, 2009

There are to date, no example of this backlash.

The "backlash" that should be is one against the US military for coddling this psychopath with all his symptoms of murder in his heart to be the army of Affirmative Action.

In WWII, FDR, a better president by far than Obama, locked up Japanese, Germans and Italians. Yes, many fought for the US in the war, and it is easily argued that FDR exceeded his constitutional powers and the act itself was immoral, but the point is that it is not unreasonable to look to see if loyalty is real, especially when this psychopath had clearly indicated that he was on the other side.

We don't need to lock these traitors up. We need to boot them out of positions of responsibility and deport them if they are not citizens. All the radical imams must go.

Sputnic

at 02:17 on November 9th, 2009

I do not like preachers of hate, but define radical !

Hugh Askew

at 02:58 on November 9th, 2009

from Webster:

a : marked by a considerable departure from the usual or traditional
b : tending or disposed to make extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions
c : of, relating to, or constituting a political group associated with views, practices, and policies of extreme change