AUGUSTA, Ga. - With the U.S. forces fighting overseas against Muslim extremists, the fact that the shooter in the Fort Hood massacre is a devout Muslim has struck a cord with many. A few mosques have received threats.

In a post 9-11 America, some associate Islam with violent extremists, but local Muslims say that is far from the truth.

NBC Augusta 26 News sat down with the leader of the Islamic Society of Augusta to get their take on the shooting that left 13 dead and close to 40 wounded.

Muslim leaders in Augusta, like Imam Majed al-Sobke have been preaching strongly since 9-11 that Islam is not a religion of violence; in fact, it's strictly against it.

"If anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder or to spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed all of mankind," said Imam al-Sobke.

The Fort Hood massacre, in some people's eyes, has given the Muslim religion another black eye.

"He said 'Allah Akbar' [God is great] and just opened up on everybody," commented an anonymous father of a soldier wounded in Thursday’s attack.

Army officials have said they are concerned about a possible backlash against Muslims in the military, since the lone gunman, Nidal Malik Hasan, is a Major in the U.S. Army.

Reading passages directly out of his Qur'an, Imam al-Sabke says a person who is Muslim and a criminal is no different than someone who is Christian and a criminal. He pointed out the Florida office shooting that left one dead and six injured just one day after the Fort Hood tragedy.

"Today, what is happening in Orlando, Florida?” said Imam al-Sabke. “I don't see what the difference is between this and that. It has nothing to do with Islam. We have a good Muslim person and a bad Muslim person. You have a good American person and a bad American person."

Muslim or not, as investigators continue to search for a motive in the shooting, all of those affected in Texas continue their search for answers.

Imam al-Sobke says he is always available to anyone who has questions about the Islamic religion.

Outside of Augusta, a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy group condemned the attack on Fort Hood.

In a statement, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said:
“We condemn this cowardly attack in the strongest terms possible and ask that the perpetrators be punished to the full extent of the law. No religious or political ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence. The attack was particularly heinous in that it targeted the all-volunteer army that protects our nation. American Muslims stand with our fellow citizens in offering both prayers for the victims and sincere condolences to the families of those killed or injured.”

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