Vol. 80/No. 25      July 11, 2016

 

Oppose attacks on Muslims after Orlando
terror assault

 
MIAMI — U.S. Muslim groups are on guard against attacks in the wake of the June 12 terrorist assault at a gay nightclub in Orlando. The assailant, Omar Mateen, called police to pledge allegiance to Islamic State shortly after he opened fire at the club Pulse, leaving 49 dead and 53 wounded.

In later phone calls with police negotiators, Mateen, who was born in New York to parents from Afghanistan, called for an end to U.S. bombing strikes in Syria and Iraq and threatened to detonate a car bomb. Police shot him dead when they stormed the club three hours after the assault began.

Since the attack, many mosques around Florida report threats. The Husseini Islamic Center in Sanford was vandalized June 13 by someone who spray-painted “#stopthehate” on the building. At the Islamic Foundation of South Florida in Sunrise, Irina Bihary was arrested June 19 on charges of entering a prayer room and threatening to blow it up with what turned out to be a hoax bomb.

Numerous Islamic groups have issued statements condemning the Orlando slaughter. The Islamic Society of North America “sends its condolences and prayers to the families of the victims,” said ISNA President Azhar Azeez in a June 12 statement. “We urge the community to stand united against all acts of violence. We encourage our members to donate to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the grieving families and our members in Florida to visit a blood center today to donate blood to help the victims of the shooting.”

Media coverage of the Orlando massacre initially focused on the reactionary character of the attack on gay people, while downplaying the obvious Islamic State connection. The FBI initially deleted all references to the reactionary group in transcripts they released of Mateen’s calls to the cops. After protests they reluctantly released more complete versions.

Republican presidential contender Donald Trump called for suspending immigration to the U.S. from countries with “a proven history of terrorism.”

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton called for stepping up Washington’s military drive against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, an “intelligence surge” to give police more powers, and stiffer gun control laws.

“The Socialist Workers Party calls on working people to oppose all attempts to widen government spying, tighten immigration laws, or infringe on the right to worship,” said Cynthia Jaquith, SWP candidate for U.S. Senate in Florida. “We condemn any and all attacks on Muslims. We call for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and the rest of the Middle East.”  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home