The Daily OrangeMuslim students, supporters discuss aftermath of Fort Hood shootings
By Durrie Bouscaren
Posted: 11/12/09, 1:50 AM EST Section: News
Members of the Muslim Student Association at Syracuse University gathered Wednesday night, bowing their heads in a moment of silence to honor the people killed in last week's Fort Hood Army Base shooting.
Those who attended the meeting in Maxwell room 204 had no connection to the Fort Hood shooter, except for their religion.
On Nov. 5, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist facing deployment to Afghanistan, opened fire into a crowded processing center at the army base. He killed 13 people and wounded 30.
During Wednesday's MSA meeting, community advocates and students discussed the racism many Muslim Americans face, especially in the aftermath of the shooting. The general consensus of the group was that the media has focused on Hasan's religion as his motive for the shootings, resulting in a backlash of racism toward Muslim Americans.
"I think that in recent years, Arabs and Muslims have had a bad reputation. Incidents like these perpetuate the stereotype," said Haifa Jedea, a Muslim and the president of the Society of Arab World Affiliates.
"We need to highlight that he's an individual, and not representative of his culture or heritage," said Jedea, a senior broadcast journalism major.
Magda Bayoumi, an SU alumna and community activist, said that a lack of education has contributed to these stereotypes. "Especially after 9/11, my friends saw Muslims as terrorists," she said.
In the past week, news outlets have investigated Hasan's past to find possible motives for the killings. The question that continues to come up is whether Muslim Americans in the military would have moral issues with fighting a war in the Middle East, according to an article in The New York Times.
"This murderous rampage was inexcusable. We stand with everyone in condemning the attack. But we must keep these things in perspective," said Suhaib Ahmed, one of the speakers at the event.
Ahmed, an army veteran, said that it was fitting that the meeting took place on Veteran's Day. He said that Muslim Americans have served in the U.S. military as far back as World War II.
"Few Americans know just how many Muslims lie in Arlington cemetery," he said. "I'm sad that I have to defend my patriotism and sacrifice."
dwschuet@syr.edu
Those who attended the meeting in Maxwell room 204 had no connection to the Fort Hood shooter, except for their religion.
On Nov. 5, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist facing deployment to Afghanistan, opened fire into a crowded processing center at the army base. He killed 13 people and wounded 30.
During Wednesday's MSA meeting, community advocates and students discussed the racism many Muslim Americans face, especially in the aftermath of the shooting. The general consensus of the group was that the media has focused on Hasan's religion as his motive for the shootings, resulting in a backlash of racism toward Muslim Americans.
"I think that in recent years, Arabs and Muslims have had a bad reputation. Incidents like these perpetuate the stereotype," said Haifa Jedea, a Muslim and the president of the Society of Arab World Affiliates.
"We need to highlight that he's an individual, and not representative of his culture or heritage," said Jedea, a senior broadcast journalism major.
Magda Bayoumi, an SU alumna and community activist, said that a lack of education has contributed to these stereotypes. "Especially after 9/11, my friends saw Muslims as terrorists," she said.
In the past week, news outlets have investigated Hasan's past to find possible motives for the killings. The question that continues to come up is whether Muslim Americans in the military would have moral issues with fighting a war in the Middle East, according to an article in The New York Times.
"This murderous rampage was inexcusable. We stand with everyone in condemning the attack. But we must keep these things in perspective," said Suhaib Ahmed, one of the speakers at the event.
Ahmed, an army veteran, said that it was fitting that the meeting took place on Veteran's Day. He said that Muslim Americans have served in the U.S. military as far back as World War II.
"Few Americans know just how many Muslims lie in Arlington cemetery," he said. "I'm sad that I have to defend my patriotism and sacrifice."
dwschuet@syr.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Anonymous
posted 11/12/09 @ 11:17 PM EST
Hasan did shout out jihad though, so what are they trying to defend?
Chip
posted 11/14/09 @ 5:20 PM EST
Not all Muslim's are terrorists, but all terrorists have been Muslim! Hasan's not a terrorist, for his multiple calls to Al Quida were to check the weather and soccer scores in the middle-east. (Continued…)
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