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| Thursday November 12th, 2009 |
| by Dalia Hashad When the story on the shootings at Fort Hood broke, I tried to resist getting drawn into the whirlwind of irresponsible coverage, most of which seemed to deliver the direct or subconscious message that to find the explanation for one man's violent actions we needed to look no further than the fact that he was a Muslim. But like most media-addicts, I find the allure of 24-hour cable news coverage irresistible. Normally, I'm of the Anita Dunn perspective when it comes to Fox News. In other words, I don't regularly watch biased TV-journalism, but in the aftermath of the shootings, I decided to check in with the network to measure the tenor of anti-Muslim bias.
What did I see? While images of the tragedy flashed on screen, Geraldo Rivera warned of religious war:
An Arab goes crazy. Kills Americans on American soil...America in a constant state of war...against Muslim groups that attacked the U.S. ... and war with the two Muslim countries threatening us...
In the typical style of many journalists covering the story, Geraldo arrived at two conflicting conclusions: He denounced generalized blame of the Muslim community and simultaneously indicated that Islam played a key role in the shootings. Referring to the vocal faction of the American public that holds Muslims responsible en masse for most of the violence we see in the world, Geraldo opined, "Amazing. If it wasn't a Muslim, they wouldn't be generalizing." Then just a few moments later he said that America had so far endured "eight years of war against radical Islam," thereby tying Hasan's actions to his religion. Later, one of Geraldo's guests remarked, "There is something that happens in...Muslim countries that creates terrorism."
In the minds of many Americans, only in the case of Islam does a single follower's criminal actions or mental illness--or the conjunction of both--indict an entire religion. In every major outlet, news commentators and journalists were quick to suggest that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's problem was religious, not psychological or criminal. (David Brooks' notion that Islam was somehow overlooked in a rush to therapize Hasan's rampage is simply baffling.)
Contrast this with one of the deadliest shooting sprees in U.S. history. Two years ago, Seung-Hui Cho shot 32 people to death and injured 50 others at Hasan's alma mater, Virginia Tech. In that instance, there was no reflexive focus on Cho's religion or ethnicity as the possible reason for his violent outburst. (And there has been no media coverage of why these two killers both came from Virginia Tech.) Based on the news reports that followed the Virginia Tech shootings, most people would not have been able to identify Cho's religious identity--or even to say whether he had one.
In that instance, the media accepted as self-explanatory the conclusion that mental illness was the culprit. And just a few months ago, George Sodini walked into an L.A. Fitness facility and shot 12 women before turning the gun on himself. Again, religion didn't figure into the media analysis of Sodini's actions. Instead, a hatred of women related to mental illness took center stage.
While the media focuses, directly or indirectly, on Islam as the explanation for a lone man's criminal behavior, we are missing several more salient questions: Why isn't there more scrutiny of our overstretched military's failure to screen out mental illness and criminality from among their ranks? How is this story related to unease and even disgust among American civilians as well as military personnel in the face of two unending wars? How is it that the Army permitted someone as unstable as Hasan to counsel soldiers, live on a military base, and receive a recent promotion and deployment to Afghanistan? The fact that Hasan slipped through these cracks--or gaping holes--should give us pause to consider how many individuals the military is sending overseas without appropriate screening and support. Fort Hood, Fallujah, Haditha, Abu Ghraib--there is a connection here, all right. But it has nothing to do with religion.
Dalia Hashad is an attorney specializing in human rights and civil rights. She has also been a host and co-executive producer of "Law and Disorder," a weekly talk radio program.
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| Posted by UB on Sunday November 22nd, 2009
Great post! I hope mental health issues are given more attention in the future.
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| | Posted by az on Sunday November 22nd, 2009
I tend to agree with you regarding the media coverage though Fox News I anticipated. It was the coverage by other networks, particularly CNN that was disappointing. Although I do believe that religion partly motivated Hasan's actions, I think CNN's coverage failed to explore this in a sophisticated manner and instead delved into tabloid journalism. The clips of two Caucasian American converts preaching on the streets of New York was played over and over on CNN as though it was some indicator of "radical homegrown Islam" as opposed to the run-of-the-mill soap box nuts you find in every major urban center.
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| | Posted by Naldo on Thursday November 19th, 2009
The real story here is how the military shuns their responsibility to assess, link, and monitor mental heath issues that they have created in these mostly young developing minds, that they have melded, twisted, and maligned for their own purpose, and then discard when they are no longer a productive soldier, but just an empty shell of what was once a productive human being...
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| | Posted by SB on Thursday November 19th, 2009
I was deeply saddened by what happened in Fort Hood. My heart goes out the victim’s families and the suspect families.
What was even more upsetting was the Medias reaction. For far too long have, the American media portrayed Muslims in an unfavorable light. The media has a responsibility to the American public and that is to report the truth. The truth is every religion has religious fanatics. In WICHITA, Kansas – a man who opposed abortions killed Dr. George Tiller (known for performing late trimester abortions) during church service. This was done by at Christian because of his religious beliefs. Yet you did not get the same reaction.
However, Hasan, who tried to reach out but no one listened, was not a frantic but an emotionally disturb person that did not know how to deal with his feelings. We do not know how he felt. I highly denounce that fact that just because he was a Muslim that he hat this love of violence. I agree with Dalia, more evaluations need to be done, like in-depth psychological exams and background checks. Why did Hasan do what he did? Could have been the horror stories he told by soldiers. It could be that he has guilt because he would be killing his own people. He may not even know. Instead of the media blaming religion, they need to be mending the hatred and falsehood that they portray. The media needs a reality check and should be held responsible for they portray. Television shows, music and movies has played a role for which Blacks, Whites, Muslims, Asians, and Latino's has been stereotyped for years because it shows so little of the truth and this has impacted the way people view other cultures.
The need to be asking how can they prevent this from happing again? What went wrong? They need to think about respecting the soldier rights as well. If Hasan did in fact try to tell them that he did not want to go why did they not listen? I believe in our troops but not the war. More soldiers come back every year depressed, angry, and injured (mentally) and are left to deal with it alone. What is it going to take to realize we need to do more?
In any case this, this is a horrific incident that could have been avoided. But then again we are human and cannot see or know it all. We can start by not causing mass hysteria by eliminating the bias and stereotyping that goes on in the newspaper and on the nightly news. Again, to the families of the victims and the accused, you are in my prayers. Moreover, may God carry you on this long healing process.
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| | Posted by emilia on Wednesday November 18th, 2009
I agree with the previous post in that the Fort Hood tragedy became an instantaneous attraction for mainstream and corporate media. Before we knew any details about the shooter, we were already being told that he was Muslim - as if that was an explanation and all that needed to be said. What was said in your article, that " In every major outlet, news commentators and journalists were quick to suggest that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's problem was religious, not psychological or criminal" is very sad, yet undeniable. Unfortunatley, for most Americans, there is a taboo surrounding the religion of Islam, mostly due to ignorance. This article brought to light the strong bias the media has towards Islam, and shows how it uses religion as an excuse for Hasan's actions. The questions you posed are much more important than the fact that he was a Muslim.
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| | Posted by Dolmi on Tuesday November 17th, 2009
The tragic event at Fort Hood is a dream come true for the ratings-hungry mainstream/corporate media. It not only allows them to keep most of America tuned by using headlines such as "Muslim Terrorist" or "Arab Extremist", but it also allows them to forgo their professional responsibilities and code of ethics/standards and instead deliver lazy, sloppy, and biased reports (or should I say entertainment). Great piece and thanks for your efforts.
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| | Posted by Giles on Thursday November 12th, 2009
Here is another mark that is missed and very insulting to me as service member. First issue, this individual has dodged a deployment since the war started. While others had to go, he was able to stay behind and found ways to extend his plush job. There were many people that did not support this war, but still served. Second, he began to act more irrational as his deployment date grew closer. Does anyone not see the pattern here? He was good to get the benefits, but not do his job.
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