Maj. Nidal was not directly affected by these wars. He had never deployed, and all he did was treat Soldiers who returned from them. If you can’t maintain your sanity in a controlled environment when you are treating people who are not really insane, but just have minor issues resulting (most likely) from combat, then you are sick indeed.

Maj. Nidal was NOT sick with a mental illness: he was sick with Islamic fundamentalism. He read the Koran and took the section literally where it speaks about killing the infidels. He accepted Bin Laden’s many fatwas that urged jihad against Americans and their allies. He finally made the decision to kill as many of his fellow Soldiers as he could, all while shouting that Allah is great. That is not “sick” in the normal sense: that is one who has taken his religion seriously.

Anyone who has read the Koran knows that Islam cannot be a religion of peace. Granted, the vast majority of muslims do not practice jihad, nor do they intend to. The vast majority of most faiths do not practice everything that their holy books tell them to. Does that change what the original intent of the faith was? Not at all. Islam gained all the converts and land it controls now through force (that is well-documented history). Mohammed himself led his troops in battle against those who refused to convert. Why in the world would anyone think that Islam’s goals have change in the past thousand years?

By assumption, Major Nidal was supposed to possess a healthy mind because the sick cannot treat the sick? Right?
If the healthy mind becomes sick in association with the sick ,then there is NO healing taking place?

If that condition really exists, then the sick will become more sick and possibly self destruct or resort to other sick actions. At Fort Hood, healthy and sick minds combined are becoming more ill , not better. Major Nidal is an example of this .

Main Question: Where is healing in this scenario ? Does morality and justice not form part of the healing process? Or is that element altogether removed from the diagnosis and prescription?

Major Nidal was trusted by the US military in his position of shrink as one with a healthy mind – not sick. Question: Can the sick heal the sick? Can the blind lead the blind?

Clearly the double standard, confusing morality of endless, perpetual wars is lacking healthy direction. These wars are bound to create more and more mental instability/turbulence due to the consequent dilemma it is causing within the human being. Killing/murder is not a natural act and therefore will cause a NEGATIVE REACTION-SICKNESS WILL MANIFEST IN MIND AND BODY.

Are we programming ourselves to self destruct ? Have we forgotten that preservation of life is the basis of life?

First, he did not have an “exceptional” service record. He actually received a very poor OER at his previous post, and his own Muslim chaplain said that he was “concerned” about Maj. Malik. Many of Malik’s coworkers complained about his performance before this incident as well. So that part is just untrue.

Second, if he was worried about being deployed to a foreign country, he shouldn’t have joined the military. That is what we do. We get sent to other parts of the globe. As a psychiatrist, he would have never faced any real danger. Why would he worry? If he really was concerned, where are the facts to back this claim up? If you are unwilling to fight ALL enemies of America, foreign and domestic (including those who may hold your faith or creed), then you have no place in the military or in this country.

“He’s already served in Afghanistan. He is also said to have complained of facing harassment on account of his faith.”

No, he did not go to Afghanistan. He had never deployed before. That is just plain untrue and results from bad research (or trying to twist the truth, perhaps?). As for the “harassment” he faced, consider that it may have resulted from the incessant preaching he did in Army schools, symposiums, conferences, papers, etc. of his view on Islam. Many people (including his own Islamic chaplain!) have stepped forward with records and statements which indicate that he had a very anti-American view of world affairs. He even gave a lecture on “The Koranic World View as it Relates to Muslims in the US Military”, and concluded with the recommendation that the military should allow Muslims to be conscientious objectors to increase morale. Yet Mr. Malik (who, as a psychiatrist, was no stranger to paperwork) did not go through the proper channels or submit the proper paperwork to have these “harassment” issues taken care of. This leaves the question: did they really occur, or was he making it up to evoke sympathy from family?

Finally, you complain about the possibility of another wave of anti-Muslim hysteria. Can you really blame us if it does happen? What faith were the attackers of the Marine barracks in Beirut? Islam. What religion did the PanAm flight bombers subscribe to? Islam. Khobar Tower incident? Done by Muslims. Empire State building shooting in 1997? Palestinian gunman…who just so happened to be Muslim! USS Cole incident? Our peace-loving friends, the Muslims. And finally, I mention Sept. 11.

I do not say all this to upset Muslims. I simply listed facts. If the facts upset you, then all I have to say is that sometimes the truth hurts. If Muslims want the bad rap against them to go away, and if they REALLY are peace-loving, then they need to convince us all, because right now that small minority of “radical” muslims is really making a lot more noise than the peace-loving group. Issuing statements condemning terrorist attacks is just not good enough any more. Talk is cheap; let’s see some action.