Augusta Muslims respond to Fort Hood attacks
Thursday, Nov. 12
By Kelly Jasper
Staff Writer/ The Augusta Chronicle
Heather Abdelnur’s reaction to the deadly shooting at Fort Hood on Nov. 5 wasn’t all that different from her reaction to Sept. 11.
The same fears flashed through her mind. "As soon as I heard about this thing, I thought: ‘Please don’t let it be a Muslim. Please don’t let him have a Muslim-sounding name."
It was, and he did.
The suspected shooter, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, is an American-born Muslim. So is Mrs. Abdelnur, an assistant professor of history at Augusta State University.
"It was a letdown to find out a Muslim was involved," she said.
Muslim leaders were quick to condemn Maj. Hasan’s actions, calling it "a black eye" upon Islam and its practitioners. Many said they feared retaliation; some increased security.
Retaliation against Muslims does occur — Augusta’s Imam has even taken to wearing a T-shirt and jeans out in public this week instead of his traditional tunic — but Mrs. Abdelnur and others are quick to emphasize that experiences with discrimination vary widely among Muslims.
About three-quarters of American Muslims say they’ve never experienced discrimination, according to a survey of Muslim Americans released by the Pew Research Center in May 2007.
After Sept. 11, 2001, the Islamic Society of Augusta, the largest mosque in the area, was vandalized with graffiti directed at Osama bin Laden.
What gets less media attention is how members of the community sent money and flowers to the mosque upon hearing the news, said Hossam Fadel, a member of the mosque.