As a cis-het, Muslim-American male of Indian Ethnicity I'm aiming to dissect the intersections of American and Muslim virtues and vices that collided into the events that transpired into the Orlando massacre.
With the recent news out of Orlando, Pulse, a gay nightclub, was attacked by a gunman, in the dark hours of the AM. Over 50 people were confirmed dead, and the shooter, dead as well. Every single American Muslim that morning waited with bated breath only to be frustrated, confused, hurt and deeply saddened at the fact that the shooter was indeed identifying with Islam. I won't repeat his name, as he does not deserve it. This isn't about him, but about the different angles we as Americans now face as a community.
In all honesty, this recent incident serves as a collision point for the epitome of the ills and vices that American society must deal with at large. The American society suffers with gun control, latent homophobia and repressed sexuality, toxic masculinity, Islamophobia and religious identity just to name a few off the top of my head. These issues eviscerate my thoughts into a murky sea of confusion and frustration and of course it absolutely begs to be questioned, but the answer is laced with nuance and subjectivity. Nevertheless, I will try my best to see if I can contribute in any way to a national conversation we should be having.
On the angle of Gun Control, the person in question was placed on an FBI watch list, interviewed, and then taken off when realized he wasn’t a threat. Fine, as a country, we don’t get to just leave people dangling in the wind on a list that could potentially ruin their life. The FBI was proper in their investigation, they couldn’t have known this was to happen. The problem being, is that this man went to a gun store and purchased his weapon in an entirely timely fashion. In the same day, he went to a store, picked out a weapon, and left with it.
According to the California-based nonprofit Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Florida does not require background checks, gun registrations, gun-owner licensing, any regulations on assault weapons or a limit on the number of firearms that can be bought at a time. All of these laws to “protect” gun owners are just abusive loopholes that are complicit in the murder of whoever happens to be at the opposing end of the trigger. The Huffington Post ran an article in the wake of this tragic event, writing that their reporters went into an Orlando gun shop and bought an assault rifle within 38 minutes. They claimed ownership over a tool designed to kill. Does that not frighten you? Common sense gun policy needs to be enacted, so I highly encourage you all to contact your local “bought by the NRA” representative to beg, cry, and scream at them for only being able to offer their thoughts and prayers. There are just so many other thoughtful points on this, which I can’t cover so I’ll try my best to add links below.
The next angle that added to this train wreck was the issue of homophobia. In a country so laced with undertones of homophobia and an obsession with hyper hetero sexuality, it’s of no doubt that some would foster a hatred of people who just so happen to adore the same gender. Recently, it came to be realized that the shooter did frequent the club he attacked and had a profile on a gay-dating app. This begs the notion that he was in fact gay. Which is fine, we don’t get to discredit that. I myself identify as a Muslim and I understand that there is no space for LGBT+ Muslims. And yes, they exist and yes, they believe that there is one God and Muhammad (pbuh) was his last Messenger. I understand that as a part of the Muslim community while we entirely stand with the LGBT+ community, we do not recognize that they exist among our ranks as well.
The shooter internalized this, seeing himself as wrong and a mistake, thus frustrating and confusing himself. This turned into rage and denial, and next thing you know, the crime was committed. It’s similar to how a bully would internalize his poor performance in school and translate that into beating up those who do perform well (a rather simple example, I know.) What needs to be done here is to offer spaces for LGBT+ Muslims, recognize that they too belong and are entirely welcomed when coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with us when we pray to God. I myself know quite a few LGBT+ Muslims; they are some of the most humble and religious people I know, yet they realize the inadequacy being presented to them. We must become allies and advocates for them in order to feel safe. It’s easier said than done for sure, but realize that this is such a pivotal issue for American Islam.
Furthering along this wonderful discussion is the idea of toxic and fragile masculinity. Masculinity, is shoved down the throats of the American Male, in every form, from advertising to consumer products. In advertising we find things such as "Axe" commercials that show off a chiseled and handsome male body, being privy to the wonderful effects of its use by gaining women and attention. The products being sold to us are even worse, for example there are now bath bombs that are actually shaped like bombs, because it’s not manly enough to use something that smells effeminate but doesn’t look rugged and masculine.
We are sold this entire picture of masculinity because we live in a culture dominated by depictions of men being strong and powerful and getting women and saving the day. This contributes to the identity of the killer because you could say that the LGBT+ community doesn’t strictly follow this picture of masculinity. You could say that the killer internalized his own warped view of masculinity (he reportedly abused his wife, worked out a lot, and had a very short temper) and took it out on a group of people that didn’t fit into what he thought was a “correct” form of masculinity. His concept of masculinity was fragile, built upon the foundation that you need to be a heterosexual, muscular, cowboy of a man that loved guns and the idea that power comes misogyny (i.e. beating your wife). In dealing with such fragile masculinity we should take a step back and realize what these depictions in the media are doing to American minds in how they influence sexuality, gender identity, and gender roles.
Islamophobia is an angle that can be played very straight, because it is a very harsh reality I face as an American-Muslim. The American political landscape tends to sensationalize and demonize Muslims that live inside and outside the US, with calls for “increased surveillance”, worrying about “radical Islam”, trying to shut down houses of worship, a call for an outright banning of all Muslims from entering the US, wanting to Carpet Bomb entire regions of the Middle East, a call for Muslims to “assimilate and integrate” into modern American society, the list is endless. So I want you to imagine a picture of a young American who happens to be Muslim, that is subjected consistently and constantly to a feeling of mistrust and not belonging. Would this young American slowly turn bitter, slowly feed into Anti-American rhetoric, slowly turn inward with nowhere to go, looking for a place to belong? We know that the shooter didn’t even belong in his own community because of his alleged homosexuality. He was alienated and isolated from both this country and his local community (even if on the outside he attended prayers).
This bitterness of not belonging, paints an honest picture of why many turn towards violent extremism in the image of Da’esh (ISIS). They have a very feeble understanding of their religion and they crave and demand a sense of belonging. So they turn to such violence in the name (and only the name) of Islam in order to feel as if they belong. If perhaps he were to feel connected with his Islamic community, then perhaps he wouldn’t have turned down such a dark path. During this holy month of Ramadan, we as Muslims, are supposed to look inward, finding and improving ourselves, coming closer to our faith and accepting who we are. If he perhaps felt truly about this, then maybe this horrific incident wouldn’t have happened.
I am by means not an expert on any of this. I simply am giving my opinion on topics that I feel strongly about. You should understand that while I speak for myself, there is hope that my words resonate with people like and unlike me. Such angles inspire conviction and passion to an otherwise apathetic community. Maybe this event will finally be the catalyst for change we so desperately need. Maybe now we can stand up and demand justice to be swift and outright so we make sure these atrocities never happen again. The murder of 50+ people begs and pleads and cries for solidarity from all of us. We must be proud and unashamed to stand shoulder to shoulder with the LGBTQIPA+ community. Don’t shy away from your support and love. In a time where it is so easy to simply give in to fear, distrust and hate, do the hard thing and love.
This whole situation is complicated and nuanced, I just hope that I tackled each topic with what it deserves. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to get in contact with me.
Links and related information
1.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ar-15-orlando_... (Huffington Post Article, gun in less than 38 minutes)
2.http://qz.com/704939/the-ar-15-is-the-gun-of-choic... (explains briefly FL gun laws)
3.http://gun-control.procon.org/ (A website giving nuance to the gun debate)
4.http://islamandhomosexuality.com/ (Website for LGBT+ muslims)
5.http://www.mpvusa.org/lgbtqi-resources/ (Resources for LGBT+ muslims)
6.http://bombcosmetics.co.uk/man-grenade-blaster-w-l (Grenade Bath Bomb)
7. http://medialiteracyproject.org/deconstructions/ax... (The effects of AXE in the media)
8.http://www.cityoforlando.net/blog/victims/ (List of Victims in Orlando Shooting)
9.http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/0... (LGBT+ Muslim experience after Orlando Shooting)
10. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan... (Islamophobia helps IS)
