Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Sudden Jihad Syndrome...in Utah ?

An 18-year old gunman walks into a Utah mall and starts randomly shooting people. Five people die and the death toll would have been worse if not for the actions of an off duty police officer who corners the shooter who is killed.
Yet another case of the mindless violence in our society or..... something more?
A day after the shooting, investigators struggled to figure out why a trench-coated Sulejmen Talovic opened fire on shoppers with a supremely calm look on his face.

"Struggled to find out why?" Hmmm...since he's not a member of any obviously dangerous minority such as lacrosse players could there be some other red flag in his background. Could the fact that he is an immigrant from the heavily Muslim country of Bosnia have something to do with it? How about the fact that he bears a name Sulejmen, that only Bosnian Muslims give their children (here's a list of some Balkan Sulejmans)?
Or is our enlightened, pluralistic society supposed to turn a blind eye to these inconvenient facts?
Apparently so....
It may take time to understand what prompted Sulejmen Talovic to walk through a downtown mall and shoot at patrons.
"It's always a recipe," he said, "and it involves a lot of ingredients." In some cases, there may be psychological problems that may or not be diagnosed. A history of problems at home - alcohol and/or violence - can also contribute to what pushes someone to the edge, he said.
(snip)
Being a refugee, along with his family from Bosnia, can add another level of stress in transitioning to adulthood. Language and cultural barriers can contribute problems. He may have experienced problems creating a social support network.

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