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AS IT IS 2016-06-15 Orlando Shooting: Terrorism or Hate Crime?
As Orlando continues to mourn the 49 victims of Sunday’s mass shooting, new information about the shooter has led to new questions about his possible motives2.
Addressing Americans after the massacre3 at Pulse, a popular gay nightclub, U.S. President Barack Obama called the tragedy “an act of terror and an act of hate.”
The FBI confirmed the shooting is being investigated as an act of terror. It said it had investigated the gunman, Omar Mateen, in 2013 and 2014 for having suspected ties to terrorist groups.
FBI investigators4 said he told co-workers he had family connections to Al Qaeda. He also claimed membership in the Shi’ite militant5 group Hezbollah.
During the Orlando attack, the FBI said Mateen pledged allegiance to Islamic State during calls to police. He also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers6 and a man who carried out a suicide attack in Syria.
“It's not entirely7 clear at this point just what terrorist group he aspired8 to support,” FBI Director James Comey said.
President Obama called the attack an apparent example of “homegrown extremism.” But he also said it was “relevant” that the shooter targeted a club used by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community
The Orlando attack came during June, which is dedicated10 as U.S. Pride Month in the LGBT community. During the month, LGBT people hold major festivals and celebrations across the U.S.
On Monday, Obama said extremists with a “perverted11” view of Islam have consistently targeted the gay and lesbian community, “because they believe they do not abide12 by their attitudes towards sexuality,” Obama said.
He added that even though groups like Islamic State condemn13 homosexuality, they think it is fine to take women captive, enslave them and rape14 them.
“There clearly are connections between the attitudes of an organization like this and their attitudes towards tolerance15 and pluralism,” Obama said. “And a belief that all people are treated equally, regardless of sexual orientation16 - that is something threatening to them.”
Some news reports have quoted investigators as saying they are looking into whether Mateen visited Pulse nightclub prior to the night he launched the attack.
An official with knowledge of the investigation17 told the Associated Press that people reported seeing Mateen and his wife at the nightclub on a prior occasion. The unnamed official said investigators had talked to the wife and will also use data from Mateen’s phone to try to verify whether he had visited before.
The Los Angeles Times quoted multiple witnesses as saying the gunman had attended the nightclub before and had used a gay dating app. One of the witnesses who said he chatted with Mateen on the gay app told the newspaper he saw him near the nightclub about one hour before the shooting.
Mateen's father, Seddique Mateen, spoke18 to reporters Tuesday about the latest reports. He said his son was not gay. He added that he never saw any homophobic behavior in his son, except for one time in Miami when Mateen expressed disgust at the sight of two men kissing.
Mateen’s ex-wife told CNN on Tuesday that she is not sure if her former husband had any homosexual tendencies. Sitora Yusufiy said Mateen “did feel very strongly about homosexuality.”
Presidential candidates express support for gay community
During a speech Monday, Republican presumptive presidential nominee19 Donald Trump20 mentioned the LGBT community when commenting on the Orlando attack.
“Our nation stands together in solidarity21 with the members of Orlando's LGBT community,” Trump said, after observing a moment of silence for the victims. “This is a very dark moment in America’s history. A radical22 Islamic terrorist targeted the nightclub not only because he wanted to kill Americans, but in order to execute gay and lesbian citizens because of their sexual orientation.”
Trump’s Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, spoke directly to the community in a message after the massacre.
“To the LGBT community: please know that you have millions of allies across our country. I am one of them. We will keep fighting for your right to live freely, openly and without fear. Hate has absolutely no place in America,” Clinton said.
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was quick to condemn the Orlando attack. The group’s executive director, Nihad Awad, called the act “a hate crime, plain and simple.” He said his organization has “no tolerance for extremism of any kind.”
“For many years, members of the LGBT community have stood shoulder-to-shoulder, with the Muslim community, against any acts of hate crimes, Islamophobia, marginalization, and discrimination. Today we stand with them, shoulder-to-shoulder,” Awad said.
Terrorism expert and author Mia Bloom spoke to Public Radio International on the difficulty of understanding the motives for extremist violence.
“I don’t know if part of the homophobia is an extreme interpretation23 of his own sexual repressedness,” said Bloom, a professor at Georgia State University.
“This is not someone who grew in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. This is someone who grew up in the United States, watching TV, being exposed to things like Will and Grace. This is not someone who’s never seen two gay people kiss before, especially if he’s hanging out at clubs with people who are cross-dressing.”
Bloom added: “I think that [Obama] was very on point as far as saying that it doesn’t have to be one thing at the exclusion24 of others. It was definitely a hate crime, and it was an act of terrorism.”
Words in This Story
massacre – n. the violent killing25 of many people
homegrown – adj. belonging to one’s own locality or country
relevant – adj. current, having to do with the matter at hand
perverted – adj. correct and suited for a specific purpose
pluralism – n. a system in society where minority groups main their cultural traditions
app – n. a computer application mostly used on a mobile device
homophobic – adj. having a dislike or prejudice against homosexuals
solidarity – n. unity9 in feeling or actions
marginalization – adj. to be kept powerless or not important
repressed – adj. stopped from being expressed or remembered
exclusion – n. the state of being kept out of
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1
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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investigators
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| n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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militant
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| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
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bombers
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| n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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aspired
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| v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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perverted
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| adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落 | |
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abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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rape
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| n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸 | |
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tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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orientation
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| n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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nominee
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| n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者 | |
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trump
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| n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭 | |
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solidarity
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| n.团结；休戚相关 | |
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radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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exclusion
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| n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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