Why, of course. Why didn’t we think of this before? How could anyone have gotten the crazy idea that Muslim mass shooters are not mentally ill? Why, mass shootings by Muslims couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the Qur’an’s commands to “kill them wherever you find them” (2:191, 4:89, cf. 9:5) and the demands in the Qur’an and Sunnah to make war against unbelievers. Why, to think such a thing would be “Islamophobic.” Those who think Muslim mass shooters are not mentally ill must simply hate Muslims. Why, a sterling and objective academic, Brett Mercier, says so! It must be true!
“Study: People prejudiced towards Muslims perceive mass shooters who are Muslim as less mentally ill,” by Eric W. Dolan, PsyPost, December 13, 2018:
New research provides evidence that religious prejudice can influence how people perceive mass shooters. The study, published in the journal Psychology of Violence, found that people prejudiced against Muslims tended to view Muslim mass shooters as less mentally ill compared to non-Muslim shooters.“While mass shootings makeup only a small percentage of total gun deaths, they are an issue that many members of the public are extremely concerned about,” said study author Brett Mercier of the University of California Irvine.
“As mass shootings in the United States are almost certain to continue, I think it is increasingly important to understand how the public responds to them. Up until now, there hasn’t been that much research on this topic. For this particular paper, my co-authors and I noticed that there appeared to be a double standard in how many people treated shooters who are Muslim, relative to shooters who are not.”
The study, which included more than 2,600 participants, found that Muslim mass shooters tended to be viewed as less mentally ill and more motivated by religion — but only among those with negative views toward Muslims.
“Our research finds that individuals who have negative attitudes towards Muslims discount mental illness for mass shooters who are Muslim. This means that those with negative views of Muslims are probably overestimating how much violence is caused by extremist Islamic groups,” Mercier told PsyPost.
The researchers also found that participants with negative attitudes toward Muslims viewed Muslim shooters as less mentally ill than Christian mass shooters. They also viewed Muslim shooters as less mentally ill even they were described as having symptoms of mental illness….
The study, “Muslim Mass Shooters Are Perceived as Less Mentally Ill and More Motivated by Religion,” was authored by Brett Mercier, Adam Norris, and Azim F. Shariff.