365. National Guard shooting: can Muslims & Arabs suffer from mental illness too? episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 1, 2025 · 10 MIN

365. National Guard shooting: can Muslims & Arabs suffer from mental illness too?

from The UPstander's Podcast with Dr. Omekongo · host Dr. Omekongo Dibinga

The shooter of the National Guard soldier suffered from sever mental illness. That does not excuse the behavior, but that should be the focus rather than Islamophobic stereotypes. Rahmanullah Lakanwal was not some Islamic radical. He had a gun put in his hand by the CIA. He has a well documented history of PTSD and more. This country let him down. This is not about Afghan culture. It's about our American culture of failing to help people get mental health services, coupled with the easy availability of guns in this country. Andrew Wolfe and Sarah Beckstrom deserve better than this. We all do. #RahmanullahLakanwal #sarahberkstrom #andrewwolfe #nationalguard #trump #trumpnews #afghanistan #spencerackerman The journalist on  @DemocracyNow  is Spencer Ackerman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xukspNN4l3Y CBS article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rahmanullah-lakanwal-mental-health-case-worker-emails/#zeteo #meidastouch #ihip #donlemon STAY CONNECTED: Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/omekongo Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/omekongo Facebook | http://www.facebook.com/omekongo Website | http://www.omekongo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The shooter of the National Guard soldier suffered from sever mental illness. That does not excuse the behavior, but that should be the focus rather than Islamophobic stereotypes. Rahmanullah Lakanwal was not some Islamic radical. He had a gun put in his hand by the CIA. He has a well documented history of PTSD and more. This country let him down. This is not about Afghan culture. It's about our American culture of failing to help people get mental health services, coupled with the easy availability of guns in this country. Andrew Wolfe and Sarah Beckstrom deserve better than this. We all do. #RahmanullahLakanwal #sarahberkstrom #andrewwolfe #nationalguard #trump #trumpnews #afghanistan #spencerackerman The journalist on  @DemocracyNow  is Spencer Ackerman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xukspNN4l3Y CBS article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rahmanullah-lakanwal-mental-health-case-worker-emails/#zeteo #meidastouch #ihip #donlemon STAY CONNECTED: Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/omekongo Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/omekongo Facebook | http://www.facebook.com/omekongo Website | http://www.omekongo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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365. National Guard shooting: can Muslims & Arabs suffer from mental illness too?

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This episode is 10 minutes long.

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This episode was published on December 1, 2025.

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The shooter of the National Guard soldier suffered from sever mental illness. That does not excuse the behavior, but that should be the focus rather than Islamophobic stereotypes. Rahmanullah Lakanwal was not some Islamic radical. He had a gun put...

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