President Donald J. Trump has cancelled plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the Islamic terrorist convicted of a fatal 2009 mass shooting in Fort Hood, Texas.
In a social media post, Trump said, “I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan.” Still, he acknowledged that several people were against the idea, and that Hasan would be executed privately, though victims’ family members could view it in person.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had originally stated that Hasan’s execution would be publicized, saying that “people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.” Vice President JD Vance subsequently remarked that he was skeptical the plan would pan out, and said he would personally not watch it. Polls showed that while the majority of Americans favored the death sentence for Hasan’s actions, the vast majority opposed making it public.
The original plan also sparked a debate on whether a public execution would feed Hasan’s desire for martyrdom as a Muslim, and if it would degrade the moral standing of the United States. The idea that making an example of Hasan would reduce the U.S. to the level of al Qaeda is false: Islamists beheading “infidels” out of Islamic radicalism is the opposite of the U.S. executing an Islamist responsible for wanton death and destruction.
The first point on potentially amplifying Hasan’s martyrdom is worth considering, though. As conservative columnist Scott Greer put it, “ … Islamists are infamous for seeking death, particularly in a highly public fashion. Shooting a handicapped Hasan before a live audience isn’t going to terrify would-be suicide bombers.” Perhaps that isn’t true for every individual potential terrorist, but as the U.S. has witnessed since 9/11, Islamists hold fast to their deluded belief that it is an honor to die for their warped ideology.
In the end, what matters is that Hasan will face death for his heinous crimes, and that Americans rightly recognize this as justice. Regardless of the death sentence’s deterrent effects, some people need to pay the ultimate price.
