Muslim Students Hold Forum at Syracuse

One week ago, the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas rattled the nation. The massacre, carried out by Muslim American Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, prompted a multitude of questions about Muslims in the armed forces and, on a much larger scale, Muslims in America. Lots of discussions on television and around the country have tried to address the complex issue, and Syracuse University had its own conversation on the topic Wednesday.

At its regularly scheduled meeting, the Muslim Students Association at Syracuse discussed the media's coverage of the shootings and how to move forward, the Daily Orange reports. A significant part of the conversation revolved around being Muslim in America.

"I think that in recent years, Arabs and Muslims have had a bad reputation. Incidents like these perpetuate the stereotype," Haifa Jedea, a Muslim and the president of the Society of Arab World Affiliates, said at the forum. "We need to highlight that he's an individual and not representative of his culture or heritage."

The group spoke about concerns that acts of violence perpetuated by Muslims and Arabs would foster more negativity toward the groups.

"This murderous rampage was inexcusable. We stand with everyone in condemning the attack. But we must keep these things in perspective," said Suhaib Ahmed, an Army veteran who spoke at the event.

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