The Fort Hood Tragedy:

Need for Patience.

A major tragedy, like the horrific violent act by Major Hasan, brings to the best and the worst in people.

Even before we learned any of the details of the incident or the bio of the killer politicians like Joseph Lieberman were calling it the greatest act of Islamic terrorism since 9/11. Lieberman, who is in charge of homeland security, plans to launch an investigation even though he has pre judged the conclusions. Lieberman is joined in his shrill rhetoric by many in the media and a slew of right wing pundits.

Experts tell us that an act like this is multi-factorial in origin. It is becoming increasingly clear that Major Hasan’s actions may have been partially because he either was mentally ill or snapped under the stress of his personal circumstances. There are indications that he was increasingly ambivalent in fighting other Muslims. But it is not clear how much he was motivated by religious zeal. If he was then he has clearly a wrong and twisted understanding of Islam.

It is reported that he became increasingly reclusive after his parent’s death. His supervisors during the residency program worried about his becoming “psychotic.” It is hard to understand why they did not demand a psych evaluation. But we still do not know all the details. We need to wait till the army’s investigation is complete. This is not to condone or justify his actions or turn him into a victim; it is to understand what happened and learn from it.

Even a psychiatrist may have an incipient mental illness that is exacerbated by the stress of his work. This may be especially true if the work involves dealing with human tragedy like PTSD ad infinitum. Others in the army in positions similar to Hasan should be examined for warning signs of stress.

Not uncommonly a sudden and swift breakdown is the first overt sign of a mental illness. All too frequently early symptoms of a mental illness may be misconstrued as personality trait of being introverted or having poor social skills. The person suffering from mental illness, almost invariably, does not recognize that he is in trouble. Often family or close friends may not pick up on clues of an impending breakdown. Major Hasan appears to be a man who had few friends and a meager social support network.

There are contradictory reports that Hasan was stereotyped and even harassed. It would not be surprising if some stereotyping goes on in large institution like the army. A question to be looked at carefully is how the armed forces deal with stereotyping of minority groups like women, blacks, gays, Muslims and others.

It is important that a professional and unbiased analysis of all the factors involved be carried out. The army appears to be doing just that. The investigation should not be tarnished by the grandstanding of politicians or Islamophobes.

The words of General George Casey Jr., the Army chief of staff, provide much needed dose of sanity and objectivity when he pointed out that Hasan may have just “snapped” and cautioned against speculation about the soldier’s faith might “cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers.” General Casey pointed out correctly that “it would be a shame if our (army’s) diversity became a casualty as well” of the tragedy. Casey’s words are wise and apply to our civil society as well. We are a nation committed to the ideals of fairness, justice, tolerance and above all E pluribus ununm.

Javeed Akhter, a physician, is founding member of a Chicago based Muslim American think tank “The International Strategy and Policy Institute.”
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