Don't jump to Fort Hood conclusions

Thursday's horrific shooting spree at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas leaves innumerable questions. We must search for answers to help minimize the risks of such mass murder ever being repeated at a U.S. military installation.

We should not, however, jump to knee-jerk conclusions designed to advance political agendas.

The authorities say that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded 30 more.

Though he reportedly has been a devout Muslim, it would be grossly unfair to blame this barbarism on other Muslims.

Though he reportedly was distraught over his pending deployment to Afghanistan, it would be grossly unfair to blame this barbarism on America's ongoing military missions abroad.

Yes, extremist Muslims kill people in Allah's name. But most practicing Muslims in the United States are not killers -- or extremists. They're loyal citizens, including many who serve honorably in our armed services.

Yes, the rising rate of suicides among U.S. troops, apparently due at least in part to the stress of repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, is alarming. But the guilty party in Thursday's slaughter isn't our nation's foreign policy, past or present.

It's Maj. Hasan.

The Fort Hood massacre requires comprehensive investigation, including a thorough review of Maj. Hasan's evidently troubled record and the Army's handling of him.

Yet respect for the dead also requires reserving judgment on this tragedy until all of the facts are known. This is a time for mourning, not for scoring debating points by indulging in divisive stereotypes.