Florida’s Muslim leaders have expressed disgust and revulsion at the worst mass shooting in US history which was perpetrated by an Afghan-American Muslim man, and urged political leaders not to fan Islamophobic rhetoric.
Omar Mir Seddique Mateen (29), the lone gunman behind the massacre, worshipped at a mosque in Fort Pierce, Florida, near Mateen's home in Port St Lucie.
The FBI has said that Mateen pledged allegiance to Islamic State in Syria in a 911 telephone call to the emergency services during the attack, and that he had been radicalised to Islamic extremism by reading material on the internet.
Since the attack anger has been directed at the gunman’s mosque, with a driver reportedly shouting “burn it down” and nearby residents starting a petition to have the mosque, where Mateen had prayed since he was a young boy, closed.
Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, condemned Mateen's actions, and said he did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.
“We condemn their ideology. We condemn their version of Islam because that is not Islam. That is not who we are,” he told reporters.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has seized on the Orlando massacre, saying it justifies his controversial call for a bar on Muslims entering the US.
“I know some people will try to capitalise on this tragic incident to advance their political agenda but that is totally wrong,” said Imam Musri.
“What we need is strong united leadership to defeat this terror, this ideology of hate.”
