After the slaughter of dozens of queer people in Orlando, most of them people of color, conservatives seem to be obsessed with one thing -- the apparent threat of "radical Islam." They say Islam is coming to destroy America and that anyone who doesn't see it is either blind or in league with the terrorists. They also seem to particularly care about the words "radical Islam," as if saying these words would somehow solve all of America's problems.

Their reasoning is utterly absurd. First and foremost, the notion that all terrorists are Muslim is just factually incorrect. Most terrorist attacks in the United States are carried out by white supremacists. White men also commit 75 percent of mass shootings. If we really want to discriminate against a group to stop terrorism, why aren't we discussing banning white men from entering the country?

Second, Omar Mateen, the shooter, didn't do what he did because he was a Muslim. Several of the people closest to him have described him as violent, racist and homophobic. Being a Muslim doesn't make you shoot up a club filled with Latinx queer people, but being a homophobe and a racist does.

Finally, many of the white, Christian conservatives that are so worried about "radical Islam" after the attack, have fantasized about doing the same thing as Omar Mateen for years. They've helped foster the extremely homophobic and anti-Latinx climate that allowed this attack to happen in the first place. For instance, Ted Cruz is pretending to care about the Orlando shooting, yet just a few months ago, he spoke at a conference led by a pastor who is in favor of putting queer people to death.

And these haven't been idle fantasies, either. From bathroom bills to blocking workforce protections, conservatives have made life hell for queer people, especially for those of color. So it's incredibly hypocritical to use the slaughter of queer people of color to push their imperialist agendas.

In fact, that's what this is all about. Many people on all parts of the political spectrum, but especially conservatives, seek to vilify a foreign Other to continue to justify the expansion of the surveillance state and U.S. imperialism abroad. We're more likely to accept the deaths of thousands of innocent people at the hands of the U.S. government in the Middle East if we're apparently at war with "radical Islam."

So conservatives, please stop using the murder of dozens of queer people of color to justify your Islamophobic and imperialist agenda, especially when you clearly don't care about those killed.