I've been to some shitty places in the world.
I've also been to some absolutely great places.
I count Florida State University as one of the better places I have ever been. At FSU, I grew academically and personally. My time at FSU greatly influenced the person I am today. I can think of no other university I would rather be an alumnus of.
So it was with great shock that I read tweets and reports of a shooting on the FSU campus just past midnight on November 20th. My first reaction was to immediately compare the rapid fire tweets of Adam Weinstein and others to the tweets of Mustafa Kazemi, an Afghan journalist I followed closely during my time in his country. One night in particular, Kazemi tweeted about a hotel siege against the Taliban where he narrowly ducked incoming fire. I remember hanging on to each update, eager to know the outcome.
Never in my wildest dreams would I think tweets from FSU would bring the same feelings. I didn't see that coming. At all.
Of course, no one can ever see a shooting coming. That is the nature of its evil. Shootings are random, usually senseless, and always tragic. After the storm of tweets and reports, I thought about another location near and dear to me recently marred by violence. In 2009, US Army Major Nadik Hassan opened fire in the Fort Hood Soldier Readiness Center, killing 13 and wounding 30. The Readiness Center was located across the street from my former unit headquarters. When I was stationed at Fort Hood, before my time at FSU, the Readiness Center was a sports bar and I spent many evenings there watching games and enjoying the company of friends.
Just like I spent many evenings and mornings, afternoons, and late nights in Strozier Library.
One of concepts I grew to appreciate in Afghanistan was the meaning of "inshallah", an Arabic term for "God willing". It is a humbling term, used for when you have little control of a situation and place the outcome in God's hands. If it is in God's will for something to happen, it will happen. If it is in God's will for you to have control, then it is. If not, than it is not.
When living in a society marred by tragedy and terrorist attacks, inshallah becomes a way of life. If it is in God's will, you will see another day. God willing, your family, friends, country, and the world will be at peace. But if not, that is God's will as well.
God willing, students across the world can study and envelop themselves in academia without fear. God willing, noone with a lunatic agenda, a counter-culture bend, or even a broken heart disrupts the peaceful quest for knowledge. We hope this not only for students in America but also for students such as Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl shot in the face by an extremist because he disagreed with her desire to be educated.
Malala persevered and so will Florida State University, as have Northern Illinois University (2008), Virginia Tech (2007), University of Iowa (1991), University of Texas (1966), and the many other universities scarred by senseless gun violence.
Among my concerns now is that the Florida State University family treat this incident with care. Of course, there will be security precautions and awareness of copycat attacks. Although initial reports are that this was an isolated incident, security will be high during upcoming football games and other significant gatherings. That is to be expected, although I hope when the storm passes they return to their normal levels of concern and not maintain a hyper-security state based on one random incident.
Another concern I have is with how the university handles the grieving process. Florida State University is very big on its affiliation with and support of the Seminole Indian Tribe. The university has embraced the "Unconquered" theme as a way to acknowledge the Seminole Tribe's ability to fight off US Government oppression during the Seminole Wars. Those wars, which occurred between 1816 and 1858, reduced the Seminole population in Florida from the thousands to a few hundred. Most Seminole Tribe members were massacred or forced to migrate to Oklahoma. Only a handful scattered throughout the swampland of South Florida were able to withstand the constant US military invasion. Those few were the "unconquered".
To compare a school shooting to the suffering the Seminole Tribe had to endure for over a generation is not a good idea at all. While what happened to the student body on November 20th is tragic, and we do need to be there for each other, it pales in comparison to the struggle of the Seminole Tribe. Florida State University should avoid using Seminole imagery and terms to unify its student body after the violence at Strozier Library. Doing so would only belittle the meaning of these symbols.
Despite these concerns, my heart goes out to those affected by the Strozier Library shooting. I hope those hurt recover and those seeking knowledge are again able to enjoy their quest as peacefully as I did during my great time at Florida State University.
Inshallah.
