In following through the story of the tragedy that happened recently in Fort Hood, Texas, we came across a feature on Fox News that reported that investigators have actually discovered e-mails from the alleged Fort Hood shooter Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan. The e-mails were reportedly sent to “extremists” who are associated with the now infamous terrorist group Al Qaeda, a group that we think no longer needs any introduction.

It seems that Hasan’s faith – Islam – and the tragic losses that rose out of his alleged actions at Fort Hood have given rise to speculations. The sources of this information are allegedly U.S. officials who would rather remain under the blanket of anonymity. They would not confirm, though, whether a report from ABC News which alluded to the fact that intelligence officials had known about a connection between Hasan and Al Qaeda months ago is indeed true.

From our end, we absolutely have no idea whether these speculations are true. It can be rather difficult to tell fact from fiction nowadays, and with all the prejudices and misconceptions around us, it can be rather easy to fall prey to hearsay.

It would be nice, however, to find out what the truth really is. After all, we think that it is but fitting for us to make a conscious effort to ensure that those who are working hard to ensure the safety of the American people are themselves kept safe – at least, as much as it is physically possible. The loss of perfectly capable men and women who are serving their country well by bullets from their own comrade’s hands is probably more disheartening than losing our troops to the enemy. It is easier to fight for justice that way.

But then again, we should be careful about judging people on the basis of culture or religion. We have already featured before how the military thrives in diversity. Equal opportunity is something that is still relatively new, and it may be to our collective best interest to protect this diversity.