US Army committed to religious tolerance: general

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Army said Friday it is committed to treating all its soldiers with respect without regard to their religious identity, amid concern about a possible backlash after a Muslim officer was said to have opened fire at a military base.

"We always have a deep and enduring concern that everybody be treated with dignity and respect," army spokesman General Kevin Bergner told reporters.

"We spend a lot of time on that specific issue, whether it's ethnic, religious, racial (identity)," he said.

"That is an enduring and sustained part of our commitment for our soldiers, civilians and our families."

He said he did not have any details yet about how the military would seek to promote tolerance and contain possible tensions in the wake of Thursday's rampage at Fort Hood in Texas, which left 13 dead and 30 others wounded.

Bergner also he did not know if the army planned any security measures to protect Muslim members of the armed services.

Muslim-American groups quickly condemned the shootings and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) "urged the nation to remain calm and unified."

A Muslim Army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, a specialist in combat stress, was suspected of carrying out the shooting spree. He was under guard and in stable condition on a ventilator after being shot and seriously wounded in the attack, officials said.

Witnesses apparently heard Hasan shout "Allahu Akbar!" (God is greatest) as he opened fire in a troop processing center on the base with a semi-automatic weapon and a handgun, the base commander said.

Although "Allahu Akbar" is a Muslim prayer, it has come to be associated with Islamic militants as they carry out attacks or suicide bombings.

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