June 12, 2016

The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) today joins Muslims across the Bay Area, and our fellow Americans in grief and anger to condemn the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. We offer our condolences and prayer for the victims and their families.
CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo said:
“We join our fellow Americans in expressing our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. We are horrified by this tragedy and encourage all people to donate blood, support the various victims’ funds, and attend vigils in their neighborhoods. We are stronger when we we stand together against hate violence.”
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said at a press conference in D.C. this afternoon:
“We cannot fight injustice against some group and not against others. Homophobia, transphobia, and Islamophobia are interconnected systems of oppression and we cannot dismantle one without dismantling the others.”
CAIR-Florida’s Orlando Regional Coordinator Rasha Mubarak said in a statement:
“We condemn this monstrous attack and offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all those killed or injured. The Muslim community joins our fellow Americans in repudiating anyone or any group that would claim to justify or excuse such an appalling act of violence.”
Following 9/11, the LGBTQ organizations provided consistent and continuous support of the Muslim American community against the challenges of discrimination and Islamophobia. Now, we stand with the LGBTQ community in condemning this attack. We believe Muslims, such as recently passed Muhammad Ali, exemplify true Islamic principles of equality, while people like Omar Mateen represent the enemy of the faith and humanity.
“…if any one killed a person, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind; and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole of mankind…” – the Holy Quran (Chapter Five, Verse 32).
CAIR-SFBA encourages members of the Bay Area Muslim community to attend one of the several vigils being held in solidarity with the victims this evening:
Castro Valley – http://bit.ly/25S3ybV
Oakland – http://bit.ly/1tkWjHR
San Francisco – http://bit.ly/24K3BAQ
San Jose – http://bit.ly/1tkWyTr
In addition, donations are encouraged through the following initiative: http://bit.ly/1YkaJni.