US Muslim leader condemns Orlando attack, slams extremists

Polls suggest Americans are wary of the administration’s approach to combating domestic terror, which includes refusing to use the words “Islamic terrorism” for fear of alienating moderate Muslims in the US and our allies in the Arab world.

This undated image provided by the Orlando Police Department shows Omar Mateen, the shooting suspect at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. “Let them come in, let them have all the fun they want….The bottom line is that Hillary supports policies that bring the threat of radical Islam into American and allow it to grow overseas, and it is growing”.

Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday that Mateen had expressed sympathy for a variety of Islamist extremists, including groups in the Middle East that are sworn enemies.

A performer at Orlando’s Parliament House, another gay club, said he had seen Mateen at Pulse occasionally before his rampage, often accompanied by a male friend.

“We didn’t really talk to him a lot, but I remember him saying things about his dad at times”, Smith said.

Mateen’s ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, told CNN on Tuesday that he acknowledged enjoying clubs and nightlife, but she’s not sure whether he had any homosexual tendencies.

And a man who attended law enforcement training classes with Mateen in 2006 told the Palm Beach Post that the slain gunman had once asked him out on a date.

She said Mateen talked about wanting the U.S.to “stop bombing my country”, a possible reference to his father’s native Afghanistan.

Investigators working to determine whether anyone had advance knowledge of the attack have spoken extensively with Mateen’s wife, Noor Salman, and are working to establish whether she and Mateen were recently at or inside the club, the official said. The report said he visited with his wife.

On Monday night, just about a mile from Pulse in downtown Orlando, thousands gathered for a vigil to support the victims and survivors. “In club they shooting”. Our hearts are also with the LGBTQ community in Florida and throughout the United States.

“It should just be about accepting everyone whether you agree with them or not”, said Alex Hartdegen, a 20-year-old art student.

“People who are struggling to come to terms with their sexual identity do at times react to that by doing the exact opposite, which could be to become more masculine or more vocal about their ideals of a traditional family”, said Michael Newcomb, a Northwestern University psychologist. We were told that he had pledged allegiance to ISIL shortly before the attack. For those who “got” the piece, it served to illustrate the absurd asymmetry between our reactions to Radical Islamic Terrorism™ versus the plague of gun violence in this country.

“American Muslims, like all Americans, are shocked by this tragedy and American Muslims, like all Americans, are praying for the victims and their families and for the swift recovery of those injured”. During the attack, he called 911 to profess allegiance to the Islamic State group.

There is a feeling of shock and disbelief echoing throughout our community when we heard of the cowardly attack on the Orlando community.

Agents are instead looking into the possible role of anti-gay bigotry – a possibility that gained new traction in the light of Mateen’s apparent frequenting of the club. He was also quoted as saying he hoped law enforcement would raid his apartment and assault his wife and child so that he could martyr himself. He said it was increasingly clear the killer “took in extremist information and propaganda over the internet”.

Mateen had legally purchased an assault rifle and handgun in the past two weeks and had worked as a private security officer.

“We are now used to the fact that, every time a criminally-misguided Muslim commits an act of violence, the entire religion and all its followers are questioned and placed under suspicion in a way that isn’t replicated with other faiths”, Habib wrote.

Police have now identified all 49 victims, who ranged in age from 18 to 50. Numerous wounded remained hospitalized.