The Fayetteville Observer recently pointed out a shortcoming of North Carolina State Senator and CAIR Chairman Larry Shaw's response to the Fort Hood shooting.

Shaw said that Major Nidal Hasan, was a "ticking time bomb" who should have been caught long ago. However, Shaw's suggestion for the American Muslim community's response didn't cut it for The Observer, which lamented:

"We wish Shaw and CAIR would take one more step and urge American Muslims to fight terrorism themselves, to help security agencies stop those who advocate, or want to carry out, violence. Denouncing violence is important. Stopping it is even more important."

Shaw merely denounced Hasan and urged American Muslims become more active in their communities in order to "let people know what you are about, who you are."

Like Shaw, other CAIR officials have devoted their time after the Fort Hood shooting to preaching concern for the reputation of the American Muslim community and emphasizing the importance of condemning the act. For example, CAIR Spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in response, "it's our job to make sure that the actions of one individual aren't going to generalize an entire faith community." Hooper also suggested, "Why can't the killer at Fort Hood just be a crazy guy? Don't take it out on American Muslims because you're upset about another issue." Nihad Awad, the Executive Director of CAIR has reiterated, "the American Muslim community's condemnation of this cowardly attack."

The Observer previously has provided an outlet for Shaw to defend himself against accusations of his organization's ties to terrorism. This time the publication put aside its natural bias towards its local state senator to give what it saw as an important criticism of CAIR's approach to fighting terror inside the United States.