As the country mourns the massacre in Orlando, the police have identified the murderer as Omar Mateen, 29, from Port St. Lucie in Florida. He was born to Afghan parents who came to this country in the 1980s. He is responsible for the largest massacre of people in U.S. history after killed at least 50 people at a gay nightclub called Pulse in Orlando. Mateen reportedly called 911 shortly before the shooting and swore allegiance to the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Mateen shows the twisted religious training of ISIS supporters, who believe that God supports their burning 19 girls alive when they refuse to be sex slaves or, in this case, massacring innocent people at a nightclub. They are told that God celebrates such atrocities as fulfillment of Islamic values.
At least 50 people were killed and 53 others were injured in the shooting.
Mateen’s father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News his son became angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami several months ago. So Mateen sees two men kissing and months later massacres dozens? I must confess to be a tad skeptical that there was no other influence. Mir Seddique is quoted as saying “This has nothing to do with religion.” However, his allegiance to ISIS and deep anger with homosexuals undermine that view. Indeed, he appears to be a follower of a radical Islamic cleric and ex-con.
The family is clearly traumatized and issued a statement that “We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren’t aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country.” However, the Washington Post reports that the father is an outspoken supporter of the Afghan Taliban.
ABC News reported that Mateen was divorced in 2011 and was accused of a history of spousal abuse. His wife told the Washington Post that she met him online eight years ago and that was “was not a stable person.” She said that small things like not doing the laundry would result in beatings. Mateen had two firearms licenses, a security officer license and a statewide firearms license. He had worked for the security firm G4S since 2007.
His history would suggest another disturbed and violent individual drawn to ISIS, which offers religious legitimation for such anger and savagery. In 2013, Sheikh Farrokh Sekaleshfar spoke at the Husseini Islamic Center in the Orlando suburb of Sanford, Florida, and called for death to homosexuals. He is shown in the video below as saying “Death is the sentence. We know there’s nothing to be embarrassed about this, death is the sentence.”
The xenophobic aspect of America has been going on since the earliest days. It has less to do with civics being taught or not taught. It has even less to do with teacher’s unions. It has primarily to do with the attitude that there is nothing worth knowing outside of America, one’s state, one’s county, one’s town or city. When you have a smattering of just about every culture living somewhere in the US and the superior attitude that ‘we’re number one’, along with just about every diversion imaginable, it is not hard to understand that most Americans know little of what is beyond their state let alone their country.
The size and population add to this. In Europe most populations are aware of all the other nationalities because either they invaded or were invaded by them. The distances are such that one can get on a train and visit any city in less than a day. The cross fertilization is there due to geography and history.
This has less to do with whether Americans are smart or not but circumstance. In the end, however, a sizable percentage of the population is not only completely ignorant of the world around them, but could care less. This is, as they say, the rub. The lowest common denominator feels that they can do without the rest of the world and the lowest common denominator represents the Republican Party that is in power at least half of the time nationally and in some states all the time.
When you’re number one and have every diversion imaginable, who gives a good gosh darn about France.
Just dealing with one inaccuracy in a very long chain of them above…
Anyone interested in a brief, accurate history of Afghanistan should read “Remembering Afghanistan’s Golden Era”.
-New York Times (2009,I think).
It’s a brief 2-3 minute read, and may clear up some of the distortions above.
Afghanistan was relatively stable until President Daoud, along with his family, was slaughtered in a Communist coup.
The Islamic insurgency was well-contained under Daoud and many previous leaders.
The Communist takeover resulted in an increase in the revolt of the mujahedeen, and this predated any significant U.S. involvement.
The Communist leaders began killing each of in subsequent coups…..that choas, and the possible loss of a (now) Communist ally, spurred the Soviet invasion.
(I mentioned some time ago that thus took place in the context of something called The Cold War).
The aid to the mujahedeen, now in full revolt against the Kabul government and the Soviets proping it up, began receiving substantial U.S. aid.
(Elements of the mujahedeen later fracture and Afghanistan was in civil war for years after the Soviets withdrew in the late 1980s…….The Taliban, one of those splinter groups, took control of most of Afghanistan by the mid-1990s)
I think the Taliban officially formed about 1993…..their victory over other factions was largely aided by Pakistan.
The New York Times article, about the golden era of Afghanistan, reviews the BEFORE the Communist takeover, and the subsequent Soviet invasion.
The Soviets were “lured” in primarily because the Communist coup leaders in Kabal were killing each other off, which tended to threaten the stabilty of a Communist client state.
But yeah, it’s all our fault, why not hold the U.S. resposible for every subsequent death.
Add that the U.S. reaction to Bin Laden and co. blowing up U.S. embassies, calling far “good Muslims” to kill Americans, and the 9-11 attacks.
Since some consider these piddling reasons to go after Bin Laden and his partners, the Taliban, get out your calculator and hold America responsible for every subsequent death there.
Bacha Bazi: An Afghan Tragedy
By Chris Mondloch October 28, 2013
Perhaps the most deplorable tragedy, one that has actually grown more rampant since 2001, is the practice of bacha bazi — sexual companionship between powerful men and their adolescent boy conscripts.
Demeaning and damaging, the widespread subculture of pedophilia in Afghanistan constitutes one of the most egregious ongoing violations of human rights in the world. The adolescent boys who are groomed for sexual relationships with older men are bought — or, in some instances, kidnapped — from their families and thrust into a world which strips them of their masculine identity. These boys are often made to dress as females, wear makeup, and dance for parties of men. They are expected to engage in sexual acts with much older suitors, often remaining a man’s or group’s sexual underling for a protracted period.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/10/28/bacha-bazi-an-afghan-tragedy/
Tom, I taught high school history and current events for several years. I worked hard, particularly in current events, to get kids interested in knowing what’s going on in the world. Timing was right, as I taught when the internet was nascent. I had kids reading newspapers online[which was new] from all over the country and world. They loved it. I had kids adopt a city and read that city newspaper[s] every day. We started class off going around quickly w/ each student telling us what was happening in their adopted city. Civics stopped being taught at about the same time as the rise of teacher’s unions. Coincidence?
Let’s not become France, England, Germany and Turkey. Vigilant common sense and pure unadulterated access and exercise to many of our unique freedoms given to us through our amendments to our Constitution should be cherished above any fear.
I know it wasn’t their choice to die early Sunday morning but did any of the 39,000 people who died on our roads last year really want to die or choose too?
No.
They were out exercising their freedom and there is a risk to do so.
I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
We are truly the most fortunate people on the earth.
Vigilant common sense, but not the Stasi please.
This sounds more like a crime mainly motivated by hate, carried out by a young man whose parents failed him, but to the extent that ISIS influenced him, Hillary, Barack, and the military/security complex (e.g. Blackstone Security) bear a lot of responsibility for the rise of DAESH
Po…..don’t want to interfere with your hiatus/ fasting, but are you confident that terrorists only represent “.0001% of Muslims”- Source, The Muslim Vibe (your 10:33AM Comment)
I think that comes out to c. 1500 Muslims worldwide who say that terrorists represent them…..seems a bit low, but maybe my math is off.
Also, I’m still trying to find out our bombing missions against South America.
Since you recommended that we stop bombing South America, you must know which SA countries we’re bombing.
Finally, given that c. 40-50 % of U.S. homocides are committed by non-whites, are you sticking with your claim that 353 of 356 mass shootings were committed by “White Christian terrorists”, as you are so fond of claiming?
The depth of your research must have revealed to you the shooters’ race, as well as their motivations and religion.
Tom Nash, I have no compulsion to have you do, or not do, something. I merely want you to be armed w/ some background on this hater of America, Americans, Jews and Christians. You are a smart, good, guy. I know you can handle the fool. I just want to have some background. Providing background info is one of the services I provide my clients. “Knowledge is power.” Good luck, my friend.
Nick,
Actor Richard Dreyfus has organized a push for “civics literacy” in our schools.
Basically, he’s recommending that most students should know something about our history, our political system, etc. thoughout their education.
Dutch Van Kirk, the last survivor crew member of the Enola Gay, told of a presentation to a student assembly.
He was introduced to the students (by a teacher) as a veteran of “World War Eleven”.
A few years ago, an intelligent friend (mid-50s, graduated from High School at 16 after skipping a grade or two) asked me if America had nuclear weapons, and also asked if “the Saudis were Jews”.
Intelligent, but abysmally ignorant and poorly educated with respect to a basic knowledge of what’s going on in the world, or U.S. or world history.
I used to think that Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” segment intentionally edited thw footage to present the dumbest answers re history or current events.
Based on what I’ve witnessed, those off-the -wall answers he got may be more representative than I previously thought.
In participating in exchanges on this forum, my objective is not to “top” any individual.
When I see blatant factual distortions repeatedly presented, it’s more a matter of trying to set the record straight if a reader doesn’t know any better.
(I’m not talking about my exchanges with Eric….he’s pretty meticulous on the facts.
He’d make these debates a whole lot easier if he’d use sources like the WEEKLY WORLD NEWS, which had an article revealing that a large stache of Saddam’s giant, lethal slingshots were found by WMD inspectors)
Think what a bomb in a radical Islamic country like Iran will do. Obama/Clinton/Kerry sanctioned.
If Hillary is elected, you can count on more of these attacks and a lot more.
Oops, here it is https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/744058605735649/
I came back just to offer this great video I just watched. If it doesn’t give one pause, friend, you are dead.
https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/
Pick your tribe, Isaac.
Be prepared for either a slow dissolution into Bosnia or a rapid worldwide conflict.
But come it will. And you can’t avoid picking sides in this.
Good luck,
KCFleming
Is that you, second torch on the right hand side of the leader of the lynch mob, Trump? Not so hilarious. Now who else is with you there in that mindless mob of ignorant finger pointers?
“that we have a President like Obama to guide us through these times.”
Hilarious.
A dead cat would be better at defense.
issacbasonkavich………Thank you for your thoughts.
Trump and those who target Obama as having anything whatsoever to do with this madness are the traitors to America. The greatest threat to America is not radical religious nut cases but the ignorance and pent up hatred that seeps out after one of these tragedies.
America is tragic that the extremists have a party that somehow represents half of all voters wherein they can find a home, something like cockroaches. America needs a multiparty system so the nut cases that accuse Obama can find togetherness in one fringe party. Most more advanced democracies have at least four political parties and the idiots that now infest the Republican party are easily identified as being members of one, small, entertaining yet educating party. Disgusting, really disgusting; and Trump leads the lynch mob. Trump is exactly the type that warms up and then leads a lynch mob.
America is not at its best. Thank whatever god you might worship that we have a President like Obama to guide us through these times.
I hope the rest of us can survive another Ramadan.
Po…Bush 43 did mention a crusade against terrorism shortly after 9-11.
FDR frequently used the same word in the war against the Axis.
There’s also “The Children’s Crusade”, etc.,”crusade against cancer”,, etc.
Given the implications of the word “Crusade” in the Middle East, Bush was advised to avoid that word.
As far as I know, he never used it again.
DARVO, disinformation, propaganda, etc.
Homey don’t play dat.
I routinely ignore all your inquiries because it’s all Taqiyya bs.
Recycled and deliberate lies are acceptable in Islam.
See: Taqiyya.