It’s actually 50 killed and an act of hate and terror like this could just as easily have been committed by a non-Muslim domestic terrorist in our country. We have no evidence yet that the gunman’s action had anything to do with Islam.
Other than that press conference that just finished up, of course. Many analysts are stating that FBI spokesmen wouldn’t even bring up a possible Islamist connection if they didn’t have good cause to say that. The gunman’s father is discussing his being offended by seeing 2 men kissing, but last I checked mainstream Islam was not exactly known for being tolerant about such acts.
I personally have no issue stating that this was most likely BOTH (1) an Islamist terrorist attack AND (2) an attack targeting those believed to be homosexual. Because I don’t have this compulsion to defend anyone seen as “opposing the homosexual agenda” that some people do around here (such as those who are in love with Vlad Putin because of his anti-homosexual policies and think that automatically makes him a “good guy” who has justifiable reasons for everything else he does.)
On the other hand, I’ve also never embraced the tendency to embrace everyone who isn’t a heterosexual Christian middle-class white male as fellow victims of oppression, and conveniently neglect that many minority racial, ethnic, and religious groups are FAR from united in harmony in the US. Homosexuality is also much more taboo in Black culture than White culture. And, some of the most transphobic comments I’ve ever heard people make, have come from Black people.
Of course, I’m sure you’d prefer that the shooter was a “domestic terrorist” motivated by right-wing Christian fundamentalism, it wouldn’t challenge this oversimplistic worldview of “heterosexual Christian middle-class white males are the source of all evil in the world, they are more culpable for bigoted behavior then anyone not in that demographic” at all.
On the other hand, I have noticed a tendency for some conservative Christians to essentially use “but we’re not as bad as those Islamists” to justify their attitudes toward homosexuals, or women, or rape apology. Indeed, I’m surprised no one in the Brock Turner topic has stated so far that “at least he got SOME jail time and the victim wasn’t jailed herself, and we don’t require four male witnesses to prove rape like those Muslims, it only took two male witnesses!”
Seeing every issue or event as having to somehow justify one’s own political allegiances, makes for a lot of sophistry around here.
