Orlando shooting: Muslims living in fear of retaliation after Pulse gay nightclub massacre
7.30
By Stephanie March
Updated about 3 hours ago
Muslims in Orlando, Florida are living in fear of retaliation following the mass murder of 49 people at a gay nightclub by Omar Mateen, who claimed to support the Islamic State terrorist group.
And they are concerned comments by politicians such as Donald Trump are inflaming anti-Muslim sentiment.
"Maybe someone will come. Crazy guy, like that guy, who killed a lot of people in downtown Orlando," Imam Mohamed Nur said at Central Florida Mosque.
"Maybe another crazy guy will show up and shoot the community. That fear exists."
Shooting 'will affect Muslims all over the world'
Kalima Ali, a worshipper at the same mosque, said the impact of the attack on Pulse nightclub would be felt by Muslims across the globe.
"I was devastated personally when it happened because unfortunately that person who did that awful and horrific act does not realise the impact that it has on us Muslims in Orlando, as well as Muslims all over the world," Ms Ali said.
"That person does not understand what Islam really stands for.
"We, having climbed that ladder of trying to show what our religion really means and really stands for, he has degraded it, he has brought it down.
"His act is not one which my religion stands for."
In response to the attack, presidential hopeful Mr Trump ramped up his rhetoric about banning Muslims from immigrating to the US.
"We cannot continue to allow thousands upon thousands of people to pour into our country, many of whom have the same thought process as this savage killer," Mr Trump said.
"Many of the principles of radical Islam are incompatible with Western values and institutions.
"Remember this: radical Islam is anti-woman, anti-gay and anti-American."
'Americans don't retaliate against Muslims'
Melissa McGee is working in Orlando as an outreach coordinator for Mr Trump.
"The reason that I got involved in the campaign, and I don't mind people knowing that I am involved in his campaign, is on this very issue, it's on immigration, unchecked immigration, unchecked refugee resettlement in the US, completely unchecked, unvetted," she said.
Ms McGee said she was appalled by the nightclub shooting, but her grief turned to anger over the response by authorities.
"They have an imam at the news conference. So they won't say that it is Islamic terrorism, but they bring an imam there," she said.
"That is what made me mad and it is indicative of what our priorities are.
"We always first look to sensitivities of a particular group rather than the 50 dead bodies and the sensitivities of those families should be top priority."
Melissa McGee, Orlando outreach coordinator for Donald Trump
Photo: Melissa McGee got involved with Donald Trump's campaign because she's concerned about immigration.
Ms McGee said she did not believe there would be any retaliation against American Muslims.
"Have we ever seen that before? We have had the Fort Hood shooting, we have had the Boston bombing, we have had 9/11. Can you name any incidences, real incidences, where there has been Muslim backlash?" she said.
"American people — and Donald Trump is one of them — we understand who the culprit is and the culprit is these jihadists.
"They are not the people who go peacefully to the mosque, they understand that.
"American people are good people and that is why you are not seeing any Muslim attacks.
"If that is where their concern is directed as opposed to 50 dead bodies or 49 dead bodies lying in this club up here, then I think their priorities are wrong."
