Rafia Zakaria

Finally, however, the tense moments following the attack and the discovery of the attacker’s Muslim identity demonstrate how increasingly difficult the position of American Muslims is in a United States which has been drawn into protracted conflicts with Muslim countries. Even in a case like this, where the attacker’s religion was at best just a part of the derangement that led him to kill with such impunity; it could once again be presented as the single most important motivating factor. If so, it should remind American Muslims yet again, the need to be politically organised and locally visible in their communities so that they are recognised as patriotic and peace loving American citizens who wholeheartedly condemn the tragedy. Rafia Zakaria