Details are still slowly coming in, but earlier today, gunmen killed 12 soldiers and wounded 31 others at the Ft. Hood Army Base in Texas. President Obama issued a statement moments ago, acknowledging the “horrific outburst of violence” and added that “it is difficult enough to lose these brave Americans in battles overseas, but it is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil." (View the president's remarks here.)
One of the gunmen, Army Major Malik Nadal Hasan, was killed and two others -- also soldiers -- were reportedly taken into custody. Much will likely be made of the fact that Hasan was a recent convert to Islam, and reawaken the temptation to treat Muslims as a group that, unlike other demographics, does not make meaningful distinctions between its peaceful and violent adherents.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued the following statement in response:
We condemn this cowardly attack in the strongest terms possible and ask that the perpetrators be punished to the full extent of the law. No religious or political ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence. The attack was particularly heinous in that it targeted the all-volunteer army that protects our nation. American Muslims stand with our fellow citizens in offering both prayers for the victims and sincere condolences to the families of those killed or injured.
--The Editors
