{"id":946,"date":"2016-06-18T21:56:47","date_gmt":"2016-06-19T02:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/?p=946"},"modified":"2016-06-18T21:56:47","modified_gmt":"2016-06-19T02:56:47","slug":"its-looking-more-and-more-like-orlando-attack-had-nothing-to-do-with-isis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/its-looking-more-and-more-like-orlando-attack-had-nothing-to-do-with-isis\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s looking more and more like Orlando attack had nothing to do with ISIS"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Eternally and Everlastingly Loving and Caring<\/i><\/p>\n

While it really doesn’t make it any better, knowing something about why the monster Omar Mateen did what he did is still important. And as investigators continue their search for answers, one thing seems to be becoming increasingly clear: <\/p>\n

…intelligence officials and investigators say they’re “becoming increasingly convinced that the motive for this attack had very little \u2014 or maybe nothing \u2014 to do with ISIS.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s according Dina Temple-Raston<\/a>, reporter for NPR. Speaking on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, she told host Scott Simon:<\/p>\n

He was bullied as a kid in school. He had well-documented behavioral problems. He was aggressive toward other kids. As he got older, things didn’t get much better. He took steroids, he jumped from job to job, he had a history of domestic violence. And all these things together fit into a mass shooter’s profile.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The fact that he called several people claiming allegiance to ISIS may be because, as the NPR piece states, he wanted to “garner more publicity for his deadly attack.”<\/p>\n

What’s more, the attack may be related to his confused sexuality. Temple-Raston added that investigators are leaning towards this narrative:<\/p>\n

Mateen may have had some problems with his sexuality, maybe even had some latent attraction to men. And he lashed out at the gay community as a result.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Other published reports<\/a> suggest the same thing: <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a hard one to disentangle, but there are three strands,\u201d said Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center. \u201cThe dominant strand is that he hates gays. Then, there is his personal rage. He doesn\u2019t like his life at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe third strand is Islamist ideology, which is the weakest of the three,\u201d said Potok, whose Alabama-based organization tracks extremists. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like an afterthought.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FBI initially touted the theory that U.S.-born Mateen was motivated by his support of the notorious Islamic State, which as part of its radical ideology has expressed a visceral hatred for gays. But the portrait has turned far more complicated in the course of a week, with experts now saying Mateen appeared to be driven by a dangerous mix of bigotry, self-loathing and, perhaps, mental illness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The investigation, of course, is ongoing. But it is becoming increasingly clear that this crime had nothing to do with terrorism and ISIS. Omar Mateen fit the typical profile of a mass shooter, and this time, he happened to be Muslim. <\/p>\n

Does this make what happened any better? Any less tragic? Does this make it hurt any less?<\/p>\n

Absolutely not. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Eternally and Everlastingly Loving and Caring While it really doesn’t make it any better, knowing something about why the monster Omar Mateen did what he did is still important. 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Hassaballa","description":"Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow\" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio. Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, \u201cWhy I Love the Ten Commandments,\u201d was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition. In 2007, his blog \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is \u201cthe most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post.\u201d \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" has also received an award for being one of the \"Top Muslim Blogs for 2010\" by Awarding The Web. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. 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