On Thursday, November 5th, Major Nidal Malik Hasan walked on to his Fort Hood, Texas military base and went on a tragic shooting spree.  He also allegedly shouted “Allahu Akhbar” (God is Great) before fatally shooting 13 soldiers and wounding 28 others.

It’s unavoidable that a story like this will prompt intrigue beyond these headlines. By default, these stories associate the violent outburst of a Muslim man with an Arab name’s action to a larger ill of Muslim extremism and claim that religion is the issue. Without allotting reasonable analysis, coverage of the Fort Hood shooting is enough to spur and ignite anti-Muslim sentiment already at an all-time high. As  the Guardian highlights:

If it is discovered that this lethal rampage was motivated by an inexcusable and misplaced sense of religiosity, it would provide ammunition to those extreme rightwing, minority voices in America who are convinced their Muslim neighbours are stealth jihadists ready to commit suicide bombings at a moment’s notice. These proponents of modern day McCarthyism find their allies in members of the “Birther movement”, who remain convinced President Obama is not an American citizen. Their esteemed colleagues include those who pontificate about Obama being a closet Muslim and an agent of socialism.

This is a regrettable act, but by emphasizing details - from dodgy sources - such as the perpetrator yelling “Allahu Akhbar” and a repeated association of his motives to his Palestinian and Muslim roots, deeper analysis on the psychological effects of war and the US army’s attempts at religious integration is completely left off the radar.

Shoddy and one-dimensional reporting is a disservice not only to minority communities but to those who consume such stories as well. Further, sensationalized pieces like these, no matter how tragic the subject, cater to reactionaries and fuel dangerous misrepresentations of Muslims in America, including those dutifully serving in the US Armed Forces.