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LOS ANGELES: California's Muslim community expressed its horror on Wednesday at the mass shooting that killed at least 14 in San Bernardino, after a local man named Syed Farook was widely identified as a suspect.
Farook, a US citizen who worked for the town's health department, is believed to have been killed in a shootout with police hours after opening fire inside a Christmas party at a local social services centre.
Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said its members “unequivocally condemn the horrific act that happened today."
“The Muslim community stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans in repudiating any twisted mindset that would claim to justify such sickening acts of violence,” he added in a statement.
Examine: US Muslims face backlash after Paris attacks
Authorities have drawn no connection between the attack and radical Islam at this stage in the investigation.
Farook's brother-in-law, Farhan Khan, came forward at the press conference to voice his shock at the notion his brother-in-law could have committed mass murder.
“I have no idea why he would do that,” a visibly shaken Khan told reporters, adding that he had last spoken with Farook about a week ago.
“I am in shock that something like this could happen,” said Khan, who is married to Farook's sister. “I am very sad that people lost their lives."
Muzammil Siddiqi, the religious director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, also condemned the killings saying they were contrary to the teachings of Islam.
“We have condemned all violence everywhere because human life is precious," he said. “And we respect and honor human life."
According to local news reports Farook was employed by the San Bernardino County health department which is believed to have organised the party at the Inland Regional Center.
The attack on the party triggered a massive manhunt that ended when police shot dead two heavily armed suspects — a man, believed to be Farook, and a woman — on a quiet residential street.
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Dec 03, 2015 12:24pm
Muslims need to come forward and openly challenge this toxic mindset.
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Dec 03, 2015 12:25pm
guys, why we have to bring the religion into the shooting.
The shooter must have his own agenda similar to what happened in Collenbien.
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Dec 03, 2015 12:33pm
I regret this loss.
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Dec 03, 2015 01:18pm
Everybody can condemn and go back to sleep. Doubt whether condemnation without any action plan can solve any problem.
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Dec 03, 2015 01:22pm
Muslims should condemn such acts in their personal capacity, considering the sensitivity of our times. Otherwise, after every attack the same platitudes are used and abused and it becomes a meaningless exercise amounting to mockery.
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Dec 03, 2015 01:24pm
A very stringent gun control is what the US needs.
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Dec 03, 2015 02:00pm
Very sad - this twisted mindset must be dealt with at an early age by educating children - the most unfortunate thing is that I'm Pakistan we are failing to do this on a massive scale - in fact we teach religious intolerance at every level including the state
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Dec 03, 2015 02:02pm
What's happening all around the world!!!!!!!!!! Strange
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Dec 03, 2015 02:18pm
We stand by all the affectees and want to confirm that this is not Islam, islam mean means peace.
shocked to read this in the morning.
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Dec 03, 2015 02:50pm
A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved or disapprove the killing of people on the basis of religion. I replied with another question: 'Tell me: when God looks at a person whether he is Muslim, christian, or a Jew.... does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?' We must always consider the person.....and that is what every religion preaches.. Those crimes have nothing to do with religion. they are political motivated by some evil minded people.. and they are in every religion...
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Dec 03, 2015 03:44pm
Feel bad for the families of the shooters since they have to go through ridicule and scrutiny unlike the families of shooters of other mass killings in usa.
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Dec 03, 2015 04:19pm
Maybe we should start by stop preaching hate for others.
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Dec 03, 2015 04:27pm
This incident has nothing to do with Muslims or religion.
Do all Christians come out and apologise for the actions of some white person. No.
Same applies here.
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Dec 03, 2015 04:29pm
@on looker why what has this incident got to do with Muslims. Muslims are not guardians for every Muslim.
Individuals take their own actions and views represented by those individuals are their own.
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Dec 03, 2015 04:41pm
@Yusra
It is for the islamic community to ponder and react.silence is no longer acceptable to the world and action from within the community what is what the world is look forward to.
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Dec 03, 2015 04:55pm
Simply shameful cowardly act, they may have another motive. Killing innocent people has nothing to do with Islam
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Dec 03, 2015 05:41pm
@AHA. Who is preaching you to hate? And if someone is then report it to the right authorities rather than coming on here and talking about it.
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Dec 03, 2015 05:53pm
Dear America,
Deprive the 'Terrorists' either Domestic or Foreign, White supremacist, Evangelist, Muslim, or Jewish an easy access to the ammunition.
Less Arms On The Street
Less Violence On The Street
This routine of Shooting Spree must stop by the US legislative
branch.
One more time deep condolences for the victims families.
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Dec 03, 2015 05:57pm
@ROHIT PANDEY Totally agree with you, I do not understand why muslims in California are feeling guilty. This is a regular feature of USA, sad though it is.
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Dec 03, 2015 06:11pm
These words won't bring back lives.
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Dec 03, 2015 07:00pm
Muslims must realize simply coming out and condemning is NOT good enough, they should monitor the radicals in their own communities and warn the local authorities. It's time to work closely work with the authorities and don't blame them if they monitor Muslims.
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Dec 03, 2015 07:13pm
@ROHIT PANDEY
Not just US, gun control is needed everywhere. You say US needs it. Doesn't Pakistan need it ? People are shot down openly in the streets. How are they getting guns ?
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Dec 03, 2015 07:16pm
@Feroz Well said my friend
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Dec 03, 2015 07:46pm
There is no such thing as "Radical Islam", it is only "Islam". The term was coined by the West to malign the religion. When Timothy Mcveigh killed over 165 people in the Oklahoma bombing, the media did not call him "Christian militant" or term his religion as Militant Christianity, did they? When the Serbians committed the ethnic genocide of Muslims in the late 90s, the media did not call them "Christian militants" or started using the term "Militant Christianity"?
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Dec 03, 2015 08:02pm
Do not bring religion in it
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Dec 03, 2015 08:02pm
Why ??? Why we Muslims have to step forward to condemn always and be apologetic...such incidents have nothing to do with religion but for some reason we feel guilty, why ??? It's time we should stop being apologetic for an individual's act..Do Christians or Jews or Hindu scholars have to come forward if a crime is committed by the person of same religion ? then why us ?
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Dec 03, 2015 08:54pm
The more I think of it, the more I am sure that these attacks are carried out by very disturbed people.
Sometimes, these people get recruited by terror organizations, and carry out their brief.
And, sometimes, they act by themselves as "lone wolves".
Whatever the case maybe, it is the time that people realize that the more the political color given to it, the more contentious the issues becomes.
There are millions and millions and millions of firearms in circulation the US. Time for stringent gun control. It will, at the very least, hopefully, keep guns out of hands of unstable people who can kill people out of whim and fancy.
I very deeply dislike that aspect of American culture, where guns are associated with machoism. I would like to think that guns are the last resort for very strong, emotionally very well balanced people who don't resort to violence.
Aggressiveness is NOT a trait that should be culturally acceptable, but a quiet strong controlled assertiveness should be
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Dec 03, 2015 09:18pm
@ROHIT PANDEY - I agree with your assessment. The problem is that the NRA (National Rifle Association) invests heavily in supporting political candidates and therefore, has a very strong lobby in the US congress. This is the reason that so far there has been no ban put onto the sale of assault weapons.
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Dec 03, 2015 09:23pm
..now, religious profiling could be done without any resistance in the US by the state authorities.
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Dec 03, 2015 10:58pm
@AXH There is no NRA in France. The blame lies else where in this case
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Dec 03, 2015 10:59pm
California is the most free place I have ever been to. I even saw some white Muslims praying near the Hollowood sign and I joined in. Had I done something like this in lets say in parts of France or Germany I would have been beaten in the open.
I thoughts and prayers are with the victims families.
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Dec 03, 2015 11:03pm
Introspection required by each and everyone, is that something related to their brought up?
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Dec 03, 2015 11:11pm
I don't know what the motive behind the attack was, and I sure that even after a thorough investigation, and forensic evaluation, the motive will remain unclear.
This comes very soon after Paris, and Mali, where terror organizations were involved, and I really hope that there is no terror organization involved.
I hope that there is no politician, mullah, imam or whoever, tries to explain this through the issues of Kashmir, Palestine, Russia, USA, ISIS or whatever.
Should that happen, the heat will really ON the law-abiding Muslims.
I suppose one has to sit back and see how this pans out?
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Dec 03, 2015 11:41pm
With his action of mass murder he has been automatically kicked out from the beliefs and boundary of Islam or any other religion.He should not be buried in a Muslim graveyard or a graveyard belonging to any other religion.
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Dec 03, 2015 11:49pm
According to the police the apartment where the killer lived with his mother was a veritable bomb making factory. His mother did not notice anything odd? His sister came out within hours of the shooting and she basically acted as presenter at the news conference held by CAIR. She never visited him or at least her mother? Did she not note the bomb making material? The shooter went to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan few months ago. This too raise any red flags in FBI.
While this was unfolding not one law enforcement officer said anything about religion or those who were involved until they were certain of the identity of the gunman. Even then they made no comment about Islam. The first person to bring up Islam was the President of CAIR. Who should he talk about religion bringing unwanted attention to it?
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Dec 04, 2015 07:07am
These kind of acts can be only nipped if the strong Muslim leaders, Muslim community committed to preach their followers, childrens against these horrible acts and that it is wrong to kill innocent people. It has to be taught at home and young age. I am sad that I don't see the Muslim community and strong Muslim leaders, who are the one who can make a difference and can prevent senseless killings, done much these past years of senseless kings.
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Dec 05, 2015 05:01am
@Mr Pakistan. Very Good comment all should support, Pakistani govt. must act on this. Education system must be modified as you suggested to stop message of hatred, intolernace towards other religions and sects. Failure to do that will spoil Pakistan's image more in the world.
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Dec 05, 2015 06:27am
@on looker you have to read the CNN, Al-Jazeera, BBC and so many more news media. Muslims are condemning these barbaric acts but for some people its never enough.
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Dec 05, 2015 06:31am
@Feroz We all need to create front against Daesh hate ideology. We are human first and than Muslim, christian and jews. Look at the background who is support daesh. Saudi, Qatar, Turkey and countries who can sell there weapons to them. Its simple business, no one care about humanity. So Sad
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Dec 05, 2015 07:20am
@AXH radical Islam is there and do not try to justify it blaming others
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Dec 05, 2015 12:33pm
Why can't it be seen as personal vendetta afterall this incident took place in evemt organised by his employers. Just because they are Muslims can't they act irrationally other than religious reasons? What if they were not muslims. There is very small child of this family, six month old, none of it make sense other than very disturbed and strrssed family acting out horribly. Didnt we see this in other such shootings in US?
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Dec 05, 2015 01:11pm
May God bless the souls of those people that died unfortunately. They were our fellow human beings. How can people be so sick minded to kill others in cold blood? This non sense must be brought to an end. This mindless barbarism has to end once and for all.
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Dec 05, 2015 09:33pm
The man did not want his relatives to speak to his wife. The male relatives had not even seen her face. He appears to have had complete control over her, perhaps threatened her daily and taught her targeting. She did not even drive. All indicators are against the man. May be the woman was already brainwashed in Saudi Arab, but damn it, if she was educated, she could have mailed her life's ugly events to some one in her family or a friend.
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