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Nov 6, 2009 5:24 pm US/Central
N. Texas Muslims Fear Fort Hood Shooting Backlash
IRVING (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Muslims across North Texas are cringing at the thought another person of their religion has attacked American interests at home. Many are publicly distancing themselves from Major Hasan and his attack on Fort Hood Thursday that left 13 people dead.
At one mosque in Irving some members have already felt a backlash.
Leaders of the mosque say they want to keep a low profile and not be obviously visible. But, they are being active in distancing their religion from the act of what one calls a 'distraught' gunman.
Spokesmen for the religion took to the airwaves of a talk show on Christian radio station KHVN-AM Friday to insist the Fort Hood rampage was an aberration, and that Islam is a religion of peace.
The very first caller showed it would be an uphill contest. "There are cells throughout this country. We are going to have to wake up, boycott their businesses" said the caller, who would only identify himself as 'Rob.'
Mustaffa Carroll with the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, says a blanket response is exactly what they were afraid of. "You have crazy people in every religion, and you know we have people in this country that have done exactly the same thing in their religious context."
Publicly, Muslim leaders are defensive that their patriotism might be questioned, that there might be a backlash against innocent, freedom-loving Americans because of their religion.
Small business owner and peace advocate Hadi Jawad says he felt the same fear he had on 9-11. "It's a real fear we have and most Muslims are troubled because we are as patriotic as our neighbors."
Jawad blames some of it on conservative radio. But Mike Gallagher, who broadcasts to 185-stations nationally from the KSKY-AM studios in Dallas, says Americans shouldn't be afraid to label the attack terrorism.
"There's a great reluctance, a fear I think, to state the obvious: That this was an act of terror by a Muslim extremist. What's the fear in saying this?"
The fear for worshippers in Irving is that they are being tarred with too broad a brush. "We condemn this type of behavior we don't know who this guy is or what he's about or why he did this" says mosque spokesman Ali Luqman.
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