Jihadist in our midst

In all likelihood, the tragedy at Fort Hood would have been avoided if political correctness hadn’t led military and government officials to turn a blind eye to clear signs that Maj. Hasan had become an Islamist extremist.

Even now, after the full extent of this tragedy has sunk in, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey has warned the public not to make any connections between Maj. Hasan and Muslims. “As great a tragedy as this was, it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty, as well," said Gen. Casey.

It is true that this tragedy should not become an excuse to nurture irrational fear and loathing of Muslims. But we cannot become so neutered by political correctness that we ignore the facts. Maj. Hasan’s killing spree was the most deadly act of terrorism on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

The military must state, in no uncertain terms, that it endorses a zero-tolerance policy for Islamist extremism. Certainly, if Maj. Hasan had been a white supremacist spewing forth racist vitriol, he would have been booted from the military. If Maj. Hasan had been a domestic terrorist spewing forth Timothy McVeigh-esque rhetoric about a tyrannical federal government, the government would have launched an in-depth investigation. Yet apparently we have become so fearful of offending the Muslim community that we overlook when a U.S. soldier evinces violent Islamist extremism.

Even now, The Washington Post and The New York Times are running profiles on Maj. Hasan that depict him as a displaced and impoverished Muslim who suffered for his religious beliefs. For obvious reasons, neither piece mentioned that Maj. Hasan earned approximately $90,000 a year and had no school loans to pay back. This is impoverished? I think not. Let’s hold off on the sympathy pieces and deal with the hard truth: This tragedy could have been averted if we hadn’t been so scared of offending the Muslim community that we ignored a jihadist in our midst. We need to open our eyes, and say never again.


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