Dealing with the aftermath
Four days later, no one seems to know. What is known is that the shooter, 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic, a Bosnian refugee, was Muslim. However, there is no record that Talovic attended any mosques in the Salt Lake area.
Sadly though, some have leapt to ugly conclusions about Talovic's motives because of his religion. The truth is, living many years under Soviet control and have no religious freedom, many Bosnian Muslims are not practicing Muslims. That appears to describe Talovic to a "T."
To make matters worse, a small group of Bosnian refugees were verbally harassed at their place of work on Wednesday, according to the Utah Consortium of Multicultural Groups. How, exactly, does this help an already grieving community?
We all want to know why a young man described by family members as "a good boy" would wage a massacre in a crowded shopping mall. Talovic, who came to the United States when he was 9 years old, lived much of his early years in Bosnia-Herzegovina fleeing Serb military forces who were slaughtering Muslim men and boys. Some experts say witnessing the atrocities of war and genocide and immigrating to a new country could have created immense pressure on Talovic. A Georgia State University psychology professor who has studied Bosnian teenagers says many of these youths may suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.
But unlike the Triad Center shooter De Kieu Duy or accused kidnappers Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, experts cannot evaluate Talovic to establish his state of mind or motive because he was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. All are left to speculate.
The best the community can do at this juncture is to initiate a conversation with the Bosnian community. There is clearly a need for Utahns and others to better understand their history. Just as important, more must be done to bring this community into the mainstream so they can connect with people and tools to help those struggling with very difficult life experiences and to help them achieve their dreams of peace and prosperity.
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