Muslim Americans condemn violence and offer support
Muslims across the U.S. showed an outpouring of support for victims after the deadliest shooting spree in U.S. history left 50 people dead in an Orlando nightclub.
The lone shooter, killed by police, has been identified as a Muslim by multiple media outlets.
A federal law enforcement official told USA TODAY the suspect has been identified as Omar Seddique Mateen of Fort Pierce, Fla. The official, who did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said authorities are trying to determine if the shooting was connected to radical Islamist groups such as the Islamic State.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said earlier Sunday that he was informed that Mateen had declared allegiance to the Islamic State during a communication with law enforcement before he died.
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said, “We condemn this monstrous attack and offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all those killed or injured. The Muslim community joins our fellow Americans in repudiating anyone or any group that would claim to justify or excuse such an appalling act of violence.”
The Muslim civil liberties organization is asking for blood donations for the injured.
The American Muslim Community Centers, a mosque in Longwood, Fla., said the mosque stands with Americans and “senseless violence has no place in our religion or in our society.”
“The American Muslim Community Centers is saddened and shocked by the senseless killings in downtown Orlando, and we pray for the victims and their family members,” said Chairman Atif Fareed.
People turned to Twitter to express disapproval of the attack:
Rafat Ali tweeted, “As an American Muslim in month of Ramadan, hard to comprehend except to say LGBT community has stood for us, our time to do same.”