When I heard the news that the Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords had been shot in front of a grocery store, I was in a state of denial and shock. These things are not supposed to happen in the USA. Just a few days ago, Salman Taseer, the prominent governor of the Punjab Province in Pakistan had been assassinated for opposing the religious right in Pakistan. As tragic as his murder was for his family and Pakistan, it had occurred in a faraway country, where even the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had been murdered. Even though we have learned about the tragic assassinations of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy through the history books, we do not usually think about such events occurring in the contemporary USA.
The early reports had suggested that Congresswoman Giffords had been fatally shot, but later reports confirmed that she was in surgery and there was a significant chance that she may survive the attack. I felt a great sense of relief at that moment. This feeling was quickly tempered by the reports that a number of other victims had died, including a nine-year old girl, a judge and one of the Congresswoman's aides. Just the thought of the parents of the girl made me want to cry.
Then the name of the alleged shooter was released: Jared Loughner. For a brief moment, I felt sense of relief that the name did not sound Muslim and there did not seem to be any connection to Muslim terrorist organizations. I think that the image of Salman Taseer's recent assassination had me worry that the shooter in Tucson may have also been somehow linked to religious extremists. However, the moment I felt the slight relief that there did not appear to be a "Muslim connection", I also immediately felt saddened by my sense of "relief". There was nothing to feel relieved about. Six people had been murdered and a great Congresswoman who had been doing her job and talking to her constituents was now fighting for her life.
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