I don’t ever recall being so jaded and skeptical when I was growing up. Something terrible would happen and the initial shock and outrage turned to sadness. I never assumed the worst. When a mother appealed on national television for the return of her children, I never thought she would eventually turn out to be the killer. But now, when a husband finds his wife dead, or parent’s claim their child is missing, I automatically assume they’re guilty. Right or wrong, it’s only natural to jump to conclusions, especially in an ever increasing violent world.

So, we have a U.S. army Psychiatrist who goes on the rampage killing 13 people and wounding 30 more in Fort Hood, Texas. Turns out his name is Nidal Malik Hasan. We were cautioned not to jump to conclusions by President Obama and others in the media, but you bet I assumed the worst. Even before his name was mentioned I jumped to conclusions. Why? For various reasons. First of all, there have been threats by homegrown jihadists in the United States to attack military installations, malls etc. 6 radical Islamists were charged in 2007 with a plot to attack Fort Dix, and

kill soldiers there with assault rifles and grenades.

A Muslim convert, 23-year-old Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad (also known as Carlos Bledso) killed several U.S. Army recruiters in West Little Rock, just this past June.

So yes, I considered him a jihadi, even before information about his extremist activities started to surface; and we haven’t heard the end of it, yet. And yes, he should be considered a terrorist regardless of his religious affiliation. With premeditation, he gunned down over 40 people, in cold blood. 2 females, one of whom was pregnant, were killed. Then again, suicide bombers in Iraq and elsewhere could care less if they take women and children with them, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.

And there are actually people in this country praising what he did. There has even been a facebook page created, praying for his recovery. Where is the universal outrage? Even his family is in denial saying he was incapable of such violence-

“I’ve known my brother Nidal to be a peaceful, loving and compassionate person who has shown great interest in the medical field and in helping others,” his brother, Eyad Hasan, of Sterling, Va., said in a statement Saturday. “He has never committed an act of violence and was always known to be a good, law-abiding citizen.”

Colleagues, however, paint a different picture. According to them, Hasan showed signs of extremist ideals but most were too afraid to say anything.

[Hasan] once gave a lecture to other doctors in which he said non-believers should be beheaded and have boiling oil poured down their throats. He also told colleagues at America’s top military hospital that non-Muslims were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire. The outburst came during an hour-long talk Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, gave on the Koran in front of dozens of other doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington DC, where he worked for six years before arriving at Fort Hood in July.Colleagues had expected a discussion on a medical issue but were instead given an extremist interpretation of the Koran, which Hasan appeared to believe.

According to Hasan’s cousin he was harassed because he was a Muslim. If this is true, perhaps it’s because of his actions:

Fellow doctors have recounted how they were repeatedly harangued by Hasan about religion and that he openly claimed to be a “Muslim first and American second.”

They also say he became disturbed because he was about to be deployed to Iraq. Some claim PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) triggered the attack, but he never had to fight! There have been thousands of soldiers who have returned from military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, with PTSD. Too many, sadly, have committed suicide, some have had violent episodes, but none have ever gone on a shooting spree, as a result of their PTSD.

Also in denial about his motives, the media etc. have made it seem as if this was some random act of violence. That this poor man snapped under pressure from being harassed and not wanting to fight in Iraq, but apparently the weeks before the massacre, Hasan gave away some of his possessions and

One of Hasan’s neighbours described how on the day of the massacre, about 9am, he gave her a Koran and told her: “I’m going to do good work for God” before leaving for the base.

Witnesses have also described him as being cold and calm during the attack, not quite the demeanour one would expect from someone who had gone off the deep end.

He has also been linked to the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Virginia, which he attended in 2001. The same mosque where radical preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, was “spiritual advisor” to several of the 9/11 terrorists. Fellow Muslim soldiers have also talked about his radical points of view, including religious justification for suicide bombings.

Why was nothing done when so many people witnessed Hasan’s anti-American and Islamic extremist rhetoric? Being in denial about the potential of terrorist acts by religious fanatics, in this country, isn’t going to make the problem go away. And cries of Islamaphobia don’t help the matter. Muslims need to realize that as long as they continue to apologize for the violence rather than condemn it, we will continue to jump to conclusions. There are some that do, but there has to be a greater voice of condemnation.