Digesting Orlando Narratives as a Muslim American

“Whoever kills a person [unjustly]…it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind.” (Qur’an, 5:32)

Any human being murdered is a travesty and a grave tarnish on the human race. Since taking one life is equivalent to taking the lives of all that make up mankind, it is mind numbing to think of the tragedy that is a mass shooting. May the departed souls reach our Creator and be served their justice in the akirah.

I’d like to also say that there is no condition to murder. In other words- I don’t care what the motive of a murderer is – there is no right of another human to take the life of another. Even in self defense- in which case I would feel justified to use deadly force to save myself or my family- Allah swt asks us to choose life if we can get out of the situation. If you can spare the person- it’s better. But if they attack you and it’s “you or them” – save yourself by whatever means necessary. It’s permissible.

I love my faith. I love THIS about my faith. These are the logical truths that secure my heart as a Muslim.

With all of that said- there are a number of narratives swirling around about what happened at the gay nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando. No one will really know what all of the truths are since the alleged gunman is dead. I personally believe one man could not have done this alone. I don’t understand how it would take a SWAT team 3 hours to subdue one gunman. I believe in my heart this to be yet another false flag as I believe San Bernadino to be as well as the Boston Bombing, Sandy Hook and yes, 9-11.

Our nation is not ready to wholly digest false flag narratives – so I feel like as a blogger, I am crying wolf going down that path. But I feel good stating what I know my heart and intuition is screaming.

But let’s put the conspiracies aside and look at the generally accepted narrative that is out there.  Derangued, closeted-gay Muslim dude kills 50 people in a gay bar in the 2nd largest mass shooting the United States.

The worst mass shooting, unlike what MSNBC and CNN are shoving down your throat, was actually the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota where more than 500 American Army troops surrounded people of the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on December 29th, 1890 and ordered them to surrender their weapons. 150-300 Native Americans were gunned down by the U.S. government.

As a Muslim blogger, I see white crimes and shootings lacking media coverage.  I see Muslim rallies for victims or against violence- lacking media coverage. When I marched with 20,000 people in Chicago in support of Palestine, not only did the massive photos of our awesomely huge crowd not make the news, it was only mentioned in quick blurbs saying, “hundreds came out to protest war in Palestine.”

I don’t watch the news any longer on my television set. It literally makes me sick.

So the coverage of the Orlando mass shooting is automatically twisted, biased, lacking facts, context and truths.

But people digest that a Muslim man – oh – who allegedly called 911 to pledge allegiance to multiple terrorist groups, even ones that are known enemies of each other – perpetrated this heinous crime and did it alone. Immediately, your Trumps and Hillaries of the world called it ‘radical Islamism’ and the like.  Immediately, people called Islam into question, pitting the LGBT community against the Muslim community.

And this is a time that Muslims have to have the guts to stand up for their religion and not allow guilt, trash talk or pressure to misrepresent Islam.  Homosexual relationships are against Islam. (Tendencies, feelings, emotions- are not against Islam.)  This is not debatable though many try to debate this.  This doesn’t mean that homosexual Muslims don’t exist. Quite the contrary. Though the Muslim community as a whole has work to do to stop pretending they don’t exist and alienating them.

It is not up to human beings to police other human beings’ religiosity.

The Muslim stance on homosexuality is this: love the sinner, hate the sin.  I was verbally attacked the other day for stating this fact – I would say “viciously.” So I understand how a weak Muslim can cave and try to twist our own beliefs to be liked, accepted or not seem “extreme.”

But don’t count me in that weak crowd.

We ARE supposed to acknowledge the REALITY that there are gay Muslims in our community. We are to love them like we love any other member of our community. We should be unapologetic about the tenets of Islam including the fact that homosexuality in it’s act is forbidden, that Allah swt created male and female and that marriage is between a man and a woman.

There is not a Muslim on this planet without sin. I love how the Christians say, “those without sin, cast the first stone.” This is a good time as Muslims we should listen to Prophet Isa (Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him) with this sentiment rendered from his followers.  Judging others – openly condemning people – risking their security in society for their perceived misdeeds is NOT our job as humans.  I go out on a limb (I am not a scholar) to say that I believe we are entering the area of SHIRK when we judge others. Shirk is the gravest, only unforgiveable sin- attributing others to the One and Only God.  If you are going to take on the role of Judge and Jury …. you are telling the world you are equal to God.  Shame on you.  My life and my sins are between me and God.  And other’s lives and other’s sins are between them and God.  None of us know what is repented.  None of us know what is forgiven.  None of us know the good deeds and bad deeds of another.  We don’t even know our own tally with Allah swt!!! Until the day of judgement.

So I say to you Muslims (and non, who wish to judge our faith and compare us to right wing Christian extremists who have made life very difficult for the LGBT community in America) that we should continue to look to the examples of our 2 Muslim Congressmen, Keith Ellison and Andre Carson, who are exemplary examples of representing their constituency and abiding by the laws of the land in which we live. They defend the rights and liberties of all human beings- without a religiosity test. THAT is my Islam and an example of how Muslims are told to behave by the Almighty.

Live and let live whilst remaining unapologetic about the tenets of our beautiful faith, Islam.

Don’t throw Islam under the bus!  This life is a test.

Also- do not put yourself on a pedestal to be judge and jury of other people, Muslim or non-Muslim.  Protect and defend the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of all people.

In the meantime, the media and the sheeple of our society will continue to blame Muslims for anything bad that happens. But I am reaching a plateau as an American Muslim blogger and activist in this vein.

I am starting not to care anymore what people think and say about Muslims.

It is largely untrue. It is wholly unfair.

When Islam and Muslims are being seen as favorable at any given time (Muhammad Ali death and tributes), the powers that be ensure something happens to make the public hate us again.

It’s like so obvious- you can set your watch to it.

I am not going to spend my life defending things or apologizing for things I have nothing to do with. For things my community or my beautiful faith have nothing to do with.

I feel like I am raising my standards as a Muslim human being. I will continue to blog and speak the truth. Let my actions speak for themselves- always driven by my attempt to represent Islam.  And I will continue to encourage people to seek truth.

I will not live my life in fear.  That is giving a hell of a lot of power to fellow human beings. Guess what, humanity? You haven’t earned the right to my soul! I will not live in fear of you. You didn’t earn my soul- or deserve it.  I fear only my Creator. The One and the Only majestic one, Allah swt. And it’s absolutely FREEING.

Click here to see a joint statement by Muslim scholars are elite regarding the Orlando tragedy.

About the Author

About the Author: I'm a Writer, Speaker and Muslim Activist. I'm a former Board Member of the #MyJihad Public Education Campaign. Follow my blog at yasminareality.com or follow me on Twitter: @yasmina_reality. I'm also now on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YasminaReality Peace! More from this author.

Tagged With: florida, homophobia, islamophobia, lgbt, mass shooting, orlando