[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/09/hood.flags.art.jpg caption="A temporary memorial site is set up in front of the Central Christian Church in memory of those killed and wounded at Fort Hood, Texas."]
By Carol Costello and Ronni Berke
Although about 3,500 American servicemen and women are Muslim, the Army's Chief of Staff is worried about backlash after a Muslim-American was named a suspect in the killings at Fort Hood.
General George Casey says, "as great a tragedy as this was ... it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well."
It's something that deeply worries many Americans who are Muslim and have made the ultimate sacrifice. Like the family of Army Corporal Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2007. His mother, Elsheba Khan, visits his grave at Arlington National Cemetery every Sunday.
“He represented the country, he represented Muslims all over the world,” she says. “I’m very proud of him."
Watch: Backlash against Muslims? 
Khan is concerned there will be a backlash against Muslim-American soldiers. She knows some are already reaching conclusions as to why Maj. Nidal Malik Hassan allegedly opened fire on his fellow soldiers.
On the right-wing Web site, Pajamas Media, Phyllis Chesler wrote: "...I knew in my bones that the shooter or shooters were Muslims ... we must connect the dots before its too late..."
That suspicion about Muslims, even those born in the United States, intensified after 9/11. Khan’s mother says it is the reason he joined the Army as soon as he turned 18, telling his parents: “I’m a citizen. I protect my country, whoever there is [in] the country, doesn’t matter race, whatever religion ... everybody included,” Elsheba Khan said.
Her son was awarded a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and an honored place at Arlington. A picture of Khan's tombstone with symbols of his religion so touched General Colin Powell, that he used the image to open minds about Islam when he endorsed Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential run.
Powell's acknowledgment of her son's service profoundly touched Khan. “When he mentioned my son, and he mentioned his whole name and pronounced it correctly, I was like the proudest mom that day.”
President Obama also honored Kareem Khan. And Khan's fellow soldiers have written her glowing accounts of her son’s outstanding service to country. Of course, the public outpouring has quieted now. Still, Khan keeps her son's medals and pictures on display in her home and regularly visits his grave – now praying her fellow Americans will not pass judgment on all Muslims because of the actions of one man.