What type of vetting takes place in today’s politically correct environment?
Just over ten years ago — November 5, 2009 — a previously unthinkable act of violence occurred at Fort Hood, in Texas. Nidal Hasan M.D., a U.S. Army major, psychiatrist and Islamic extremist, fatally shot 13 people and injured more than 30 others, after ranting openly to colleagues why infidels should be beheaded. During the trial in which he was sentenced to death, Hasan acknowledged that he pulled the trigger in a crowded waiting room where troops were getting final medical checkups before deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Fast forward to the morning of Friday December 6, 2019. A shooter identified as Second Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, opened fire in a classroom at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida killing three people and wounding 8 others, including two deputies, one of whom was responsible for killing the murderer.
Among the base victims was Joshua Kaleb Watson, 23, a recent graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and officer on deck at the time of the massacre, who alerted first responders to the location of the shooter even after he had been shot multiple times. He was training to become a Navy pilot … a goal that will never be realized.
There is a connective thread between the two horrific incidents of terrorism on U.S. military bases training foreign nationals in the use of the aircraft we send to their countries. Both of the assassins were authorized to be on the base where they committed their carnage and both were devout Muslims, making frequent trips back to their homeland.
Alshamrani entered the United States in 2017, when he began training with the United States military. He attended school and began taking classes in English and aviation at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Prior to Friday’s massacre Alshamrani hosted a dinner party at his residence where the entertainment was watching videos of mass murders.
One of the students who attended the dinner party was videotaped outside the building while the shooting was taking place. Two other Saudi students reportedly watched from a car. According to an unnamed U.S. official, 10 Saudi students were being held on the base Saturday while several others remained unaccounted for. He also said the FBI was examining social media posts and investigating whether the assassin acted alone or was connected to a larger group.
It’s important to acknowledge that there are American Muslims who are patriotic and fighting against the very things these craven haters believe in. Arizonans are fortunate to have among us Zuhdi Jasser, MD an American medical doctor specializing in internal medicine and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Jasser is a former lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. He served as staff internist in the Office of the Attending Physician of the United States Congress. Jasser is an author and frequent guest on nationally televised programs where he makes the distinction between the religion and politicized Islam. His website is the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. It’s our sole link today. We hope our readers will visit it.