Loss of diversity, says General Casey, would be worse than jihad murder: “Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.”
As Pamela Geller puts it: “Diversity as a casualty would be an ‘even greater tragedy’ than the casualties of this act of war on American soil. I cannot believe what I am reading. It was not a tragedy, it was an terrorist attack. This is Obama’s military command?…Instead of taking the enemy on, calling it what it is and taking offensive measures against a mortal enemy that has vowed our destruction, we submit.”
“Army chief fears backlash for Muslim U.S. soldiers,” by Will Dunham from Reuters, November 8 (thanks to Pamela):
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Army’s top general expressed concern on Sunday that last week’s mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, blamed on a Muslim Army officer, could fuel a backlash in the military against Muslim troops.
General George Casey, U.S. Army chief of staff, cautioned against jumping to conclusions about whether religious beliefs motivated the accused gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim born in the United States of immigrant parents.
“I’m concerned that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers. And I’ve asked our Army leaders to be on the lookout for that,” Casey told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
There are about 3,000 Muslims on active duty military service or in the National Guard or reserve forces, Casey said. They remain a small minority within the U.S. military.
A Fort Hood official has said Hasan yelled “Allahu Akbar” — Arabic for “God is Greatest” — just before the shooting in which 13 people were killed and 30 wounded. The 39-year-old U.S. Army psychiatrist was shot four times by police. He was hospitalized but no longer needed a ventilator to breathe….
“Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse,” Casey added on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Asked whether Muslims in the U.S. Army are more conflicted than other soldiers in fighting wars in Muslim countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, Casey said: “I think that’s something that we have to look at on an individual basis.”
“But,” he added, “I think we as an Army have to be broad enough to bring in people from all walks of life.”…