Major Nidal Malik Hasan is a Victim of circumstances. A logical viewpoint

Professor Hasan A. Yahya

When Israel invaded Lebanon 1982 hasan was 12 years old, Sabra and Shatilla massacre happened. This event may not understood when he was in that age, in 1988 First Intifada in the Palestinian lands, Hasan was 18 years old, almost high school senior, in 1990 and after Iraq, he was 20 years old.  In 1998 his parents died, he became alone. (The cause needs investigation). What life a young man like Hasan is expected to have? In 2001the 9/11 attack on N.Y, and illogical outrage included profiling of ALL Arabs and Muslims, and even Hindos and Iranians, who are not Arabs. When Iraq and Afghanistan were invaded after 2001 he was 30 years old.

In 2006 Hasan was 36 years old, he witnessed the destruction of Lebanon, and two years later, Gaza, while Arabs are watching, and USA postponing the UN action to stop the war in both cases. This is a humiliation factor for the majority of  Arabs and Muslims.

 The  central question, in Hasan’s case according to experts, is whether authorities decided to pursue their preliminary inquiry into Hasan as a criminal case or a terrorism tip. FBI  has said that investigators decided that Hasan's e-mail exchanges with Awlaki were a legitimate part of the psychiatrist's academic research. Whither Hasan's communications with Awlaki were intercepted by the National Security Agency, through eavesdrops on e-mails and phone calls around the world, or not. Emails, and phones  every stupid or midsized mentality person (from the Middle East) knows that they are evesdropped by NSA. The major is smart not to give  evident even if he was planning something, but he did not think to do horrible things at that time.

His outrage was born heavily in his mind in the last few weeks, no more, no less. Therefore, the email issue is less important  to be taken as a factor for accusation.

 Mental ability, in my judgment, and according to Hasan’s life background as an Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian, and according to my knowledge of their cultures, mental ability is the only factor which should be taken into consideration in this case, and I will support this conclusion.

For simple reasons, the age, the origins, and American support for Israel, U.S.A involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Israeli stallment of the peace process. And finally the red flag deployment of Hasan by the army fired his nerves. Lack of understanding to this situation among young Muslims from FBI,  the Pentagon, and CIA, made the outrage took place. And in case they understood through their councilors they fail to understand Hasan’s case and act to solve the conflict. He was not able to release himself from the mission and tried by saying that to friends and colleagues, but no one listened to his appeal or raised the issue to help.

 Hasan is a person with feelings, like any other human being, he feels defeat, humiliation while just solution is not reached or attempted by U.S.A government. I don’t think he was Shi’i, he was an everyday defeated Arab, Muslim, and  Palestinian, forced by the negative influence of U.S.

In more details, eecently, in 2008-9 Gaza was under siege by the Occupation forces, and Israel guilt of committing systematic war crimes across Gaza and the West Bank, under the US consent and permission, which supported, funded and armed Israel during the war, as an accessory to those crimes.

 Concerning Goldstone Report, in going after Israel, the report,  unintended, is going after the US, which has committed many of the same crimes (side by side with Israel on the grounds by supplying Israel with arms, and in the UN to  stop the unequal war between occupied forces and occupied Gaza Strip and the small fraction of  Hamas).

USA will be blamed for its occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and perhaps through its drone attacks, in Pakistan and other countries. This is the report's true danger, and why - from the US perspective - its accusations against Israel cannot stand. Foreign policy against his people. That’s why many Arabs and Muslims follow their emotions and think that he’s a hero, which is far from accuracy in this case.

 Other factor, the U.S. Foreign policy and UN Resolutions for Palestine were also humiliating Muslim communities everywhere, in both Arab Muslims in Arab countries, and abroad. With no listening ears or minds to break through the destruction of Lebanon in 2006, or the military attack against civilians in Gaza Strip. The  continuous and systematic abuse, outrages on personal dignity, humiliating and degrading treatment contrary to fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and human rights law according to Goldstone Report.

The week before, Goldstone Report, and 867 Congress Resolution. The report, written by South African jurist Richard Goldstone, has caused uproar in Israel and the US for its alleged bias against Israel and avoidance of serious criticism of Hamas. The condemnation, House Resolution 867, passed by a 344-36 vote. While the report in fact, concludes that the treatment of (Gazan)  civilians “constitutes the infliction of a collective penalty on those persons and amounts to measures of intimidation and terror. Such acts are grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and constitute a war crime," as the report says.

Goldstone sent a letter to members of Congress before the vote on the resolution refuting most of the allegations contained in it. But his rebuttal did not lead to substantive changes in the report's accusations and apparently had no effect on the vote. After opposition of the report  unfolded, it would be easy to conclude that this is merely another case of the vaunted Israel lobby shutting down any debate over Israel's actions in the Occupied Territories. Furthermore, the resolution recommendations calling on the President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the "Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict" in multilateral fora.” Which is humiliating for Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians.

Why America sided with Israel and rejected the report. America is loosing political grounds for irrational congresspersons who blindly reject the report or further discussion of its content without full evaluation of the reactions to such resolution. The congress, in fact made the same mistake of Yassir Arafat, when he sided with Iraq against Kuwait in 1990, instead of fair position to be neutral.   

 It is not a secret, that foreign policy of the U.S was defeating all Arabs and Muslims in any UN decision or resolution concerning the Middle East. Through the last forty years. age of Hasan. After he became high school attendant.  Intifadah took place, Israeli atrocities destroyed  Lebanon, Gaza two years later, was destroyed (indirectly) by American assistance and support. It is not easy for a normal person to remain sane, would it be easy for a mentally troubled lonely, defeated and fearful person?  In Islam, life is so cheep, when it comes to preserve dignity, justice, and honor. Investigators experienced this quality among almost all prisoners of al-Qai’da.     

In addition, the consequences of Israeli rejection of peace, stalled peace efforts and Tel Aviv's refusal to abide by UN resolutions, continuing settlement building, made Palestinian people divided with little hope. Palestinian people have not been able to reach a two-state solution through 18 years of negotiations. This is a disturbing matter, Palestinians are denied of return to their lands, (194 UN Resolution), Jerusalem is  fallen down piece by piece under Israeli boots recently, What do you want from Muslims to be, or how to act under these circumstances. The media masters minds. All the previous events in any Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian life time is humiliating, which I believe, make any normal person insane and full of outrage. While these events according to politicians can be understood, it would be very hard for a lay person to handle logically. Emotions will replace the mentality and reasoning to make a difference.

When Major Hasan made his decision, he was insane, lead by accumulated feelings through the years of defeat politically and on ground, such feeling if accompanied with fear  to be deployed to fight in Muslim land would be devastating as it was. While nothing justifies violence, temporary insanity of evaluating life price, is the only possible motive  for revenge. Hasan was a victim of circumstances, defeat,  loneliness and fear, rather than terrorist recruit.  (1410 words) www.hasanyahya.com