According to the NYTimes today, U.S. military officials are worried about a backlash of harassment and discrimination against Muslim soldiers in the wake of the Ft. Hood shootings , making an already tough environment even tougher for servicemen and women of minority faiths. It is nice to hear the leadership saying all the right things.
“Our diversity, not only in our Army but in our country, is a strength,” General Casey said Sunday on “Meet the Press” on NBC. “And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.”
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Muslim leaders, advocates and military service members have taken pains to denounce the shooting and distance themselves from Major Hasan. They make the point that his violence is no more representative of them than it is of other groups to which he belongs, including Army psychiatrists.
The U.S. military already faces controversy over the treatment of personnel that are not Christian. Allegations of proselytization, improper support for religious activities, and even charges that U.S. foreign policy is enmeshed with religious ideology have dogged the armed services in recent years. Faced with that difficult environment, Muslim soldiers now add the aftermath of this tragedy.
Meanwhile, the award for the worst response clearly goes to the American Family Association, which would make a mockery of our country's commitment to religious liberty by proposing a ban on Muslims from military service.
