WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Muslim, Christian leaders hope to avoid backlash after Ft. Hood shootings

Muslim, Christian leaders hope to avoid backlash after Ft. Hood shootings

By Jack Kuenzie - bio | email

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - There is no clear indication that Major Nidal Malik Hasan's actions were a result of his faith, and Muslim leaders are trying to separate the two. Here in the Midlands, the Christian community is also urging caution.

The quiet campus of Columbia International University is part of a mission to teach and promote Christianity. Included in that mission is an outreach to the Muslim world.

"Anybody who's working in a Muslim context benefits from what the Zwemer Center can offer which is basically who Muslims are and what they believe," said Trevor Castor, assistant director of the school's Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies.

Castor is just one of many in the Christian and Muslim faith communities bracing for a possible backlash following Thursday's shootings at Fort Hood.

"I'd have to say that there's a lot of fear," said Castor. "And primarily that's because we fear the things we don't understand. That's where we come in. We try to help the community understand exactly who Muslims are and what they believe. And that will dispel a lot of that fear."

Leaders of several Muslim groups worked quickly to condemn the actions of Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

"No political or religious ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence," said Council on American-Islamic Relations spokesperson Nihad Awad.

It is still not clear whether religion had anything to do with the shootings. Many news accounts have pointed out instead that the Virginia native had been exhibiting signs of stress due to his impending deployment.

Despite sporadic reports of hate emails or threats against Muslims in other parts of the country, Columbia police and the Richland County Sheriff's Department say they know of nothing similar here. 

"If you get to know a Muslim, if you get to know what they believe, who they are, the types of food that they like, the culture that they have, you'll find that they're lovely people," said Castor. "They're hospitable. They want to get to know you and they want you to get to know them."
                                                                               
Reports say in some cities, Muslims have organized prayer sessions for the victims in Texas. Some Muslim leaders have also told followers to take precautions against any possible retaliation.
    
Again, we have no reports of any incidents in the Midlands.

For more information about the Zwemer Center at Columbia International University, click here.

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