Excerpt:
The American Muslim community is in shock and in a state of disbelief combined with apprehension as it watches the details of the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas unfold. Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a doctor and a practising Muslim, born in Virginia of Jordanian parents, turned against his fellow citizens and military colleagues and gunned down 13 and wounded 30.
Fort Hood is America's biggest military installation. It is like a sanctuary where Americans should feel safe. It is difficult to describe the fear and anxiety this ghastly event must be invoking among the families who live in Fort Hood.
What happened at Fort Hood follows a nightmare script that has been one of the biggest fears of the American Muslim community since the appalling events of September 11, 2001. One crazy Muslim, acting on his own, causing significant mayhem and murder and inviting anger and backlash against millions of peace-loving and hardworking Americans who are Muslims. National and local Muslim organisations immediately issued strong condemnation of the event and called for calm.