- Joined
- Jul 19, 2012
- Messages
- 14,185
- Reaction score
- 8,768
- Location
- Houston
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Libertarian
Mateen wasn't targeting gays. He just wanted to kill infidels.
He scouted out Disney World as a possible target, specifically the Downtown Disney area, which isn't specifically gay. He mentioned nothing anti gay in his messages to the 911 operator in which he claimed allegiance to ISIS and the caliphate. He said nothing about punishing gays.
It may be that he targeted the gay nightclub because it was convenient. It was a place he frequented and knew.
What If Mateen Wasn't Targeting Gay People At All?
He scouted out Disney World as a possible target, specifically the Downtown Disney area, which isn't specifically gay. He mentioned nothing anti gay in his messages to the 911 operator in which he claimed allegiance to ISIS and the caliphate. He said nothing about punishing gays.
No mention of carrying out an Islamic punishment for homosexuality, no mention of gay or lesbian Americans, no mention of his victims at all. Of course, it’s no secret that Islam condemns homosexuality, and that ISIS has executed gay men by throwing them from rooftops in Mosul. So it’s possible that Mateen decided to attack Pulse, a well-known gay nightclub, to carry out a punishment he believed Islam demands for homosexuality.
But in light of the going media narrative, that Mateen specifically targeted a gay nightclub because of his hatred of homosexuality, it seems a rather significant omission on his part.
It may be that he targeted the gay nightclub because it was convenient. It was a place he frequented and knew.
What If Mateen Wasn't Targeting Gay People At All?