Vigils held for California shooting victims as suspect is described as ‘a nice person’

[rooster59]

Vigils held for California shooting victims as suspect is described as ‘a nice person’

Some 3,500 mourners held a candlelit vigil in San Bernardino, California, on Thursday night for the 14 people
shot dead in a gun rampage at a holiday party there.

The memorial in a sports stadium came as investigators sought clues to the shooters’ motives and whether they had links to Islamist militants.

Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, both killed in a shootout with police following Wednesday’s massacre, are accused of carrying out one of the bloodiest mass killings in the United States.

A devout Muslim, Farook, 28, was described as quiet and peaceful.

“You know, always a nice person, never mean, never angry, never even seen him mad or upset about anything,” said Rahemaan Ali, 18, who attended the same mosque in Southern California as the shooting suspect.

“Always nice, smile on his face, good brother…Never preached about anything wrong, about killing anything, about politics, never said anything about his work…that, ‘oh I hate this person’, or ‘this person is giving me trouble, what should I do?’”

“He is someone who used to listen to my sermons, my talks here,” said Mustafa Kuko, director of the Islamic Center of Riverside. “I sat up last night thinking about him and what’s happened.”

Kuko has trouble understanding how Farook could have betrayed the very principles of his religion.

“We’re told in Islam if you take one human life, it’s as if you’ve taken all of mankind.”

Mahmood Nadvi, an assistant imam at the Dar Al Uloom Al Islamiyah-Amer mosque in San Bernardino, which Farook began attending in 2014, was equally disturbed.

“You can’t be a true Muslim and sleep after this,” he said

“We weep for our brothers and sisters lost in humanity.”

Muslims have held their own prayer vigils for the dead.

Muslim community groups have condemned the massacre and urged the public not to blame Islam or Muslims, amid fears their religion could be demonised and Islamophobia could spread.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-12-04

[Credo]

Beware of the wrath of a patient man (and his wife in this case).

[granuaile]

There are a lot of things in this event that don't add up, but have to wait to see where all the pieces fall. One article stated that he had a conflict with a coworker in the past who apparently often argued with Farook about Islam and Israel. - this coworrker was one of those killed. About that coworker, the LA times quoted his wife:

Friends recalled him as man who was always willing to lend a hand.

Thalasinos said her husband, a health inspector, worked with shooting suspect Syed Rizwan Farook. She said that he was aware Farook was Muslim but had never mentioned that his co-worker had any extreme views. "If he would have ... my husband would have had something to say."

"They got along," she said. "As far as I know, [syed] got along with everybody. That's what's so shocking."

Thalasinos said she had heard that before the shooting there may have been an argument at the party. She described her husband as very outspoken about Islamic terrorism, with strong conservative politics.

Thasolinos was a Messianic Jew, and Farook a Muslim, but it seems like political and personal differences existed based on religion. That doesn't make it terrorism, but it doesn't preclude it.It seems unlikely from all I've read that Farook is linked to IS or other groups, but time will let things fall into place.

[granuaile]

CNN just reported that the wife made a post on social media pledging allegiance to IS either at the time of the shootings or just after. I'm wondering who played the dominant role...

[Scott]

It sounds like the link to ISIS is tenuous. I would assume that ISIS would have claimed responsibility if they were closely linked.

[Usernames]

CNN just reported that the wife made a post on social media pledging allegiance to IS either at the time of the shootings or just after. I'm wondering who played the dominant role...

Just like the ISIS guys who tried to raid the Texas cartoon display.

[Usernames]

It sounds like the link to ISIS is tenuous. I would assume that ISIS would have claimed responsibility if they were closely linked.

Just how close are they supposed to be? ISIS doesn't issue serial numbers and dog tags.

[Scott]

I am not wishing to get into an argument, nor am I questioning whether or not it is terrorism. I am just wondering what group, if any they were associated.

In some past instances, several terrorist groups claim responsibility. In this case they haven't.

They may be associated with others who may be around and a potential danger. They had a pretty large arsenal and I am curious about those pipe bombs and if they had help in putting them together.

[Usernames]

@Scott

I think you will find that the nature of ISIS terrorism in the US will be much different from that in Europe. There is a direct, or almost direct, land connection from Syria to anywhere in Europe. Even second generation immigrants like Farook and his immigrant wife are going to be more loosely connected than someone who can walk off the battlefield in Syria, take a bus, and be in Paris the next day. This is the second such ISIS group, the first being the Garland Texas crew. They both operated similarly, and without the same degree of competency their European brothers demonstrated. The links are probably more tenuous, the networks more digital than personal, and the degree of efficiency much smaller than in Europe. Give them time. I'm sure they'll get better at this. Unfortunately.

[JetsetBkk]

Muslim community groups have condemned the massacre and urged the public not to blame Islam or Muslims, amid fears their religion could be demonised and Islamophobia could spread

Too late.

[oneday]

"...amid fears their religion could be demonized and Islamophobia could spread..."

Too late.

[phantomfiddler]

Nice person my arse ! Nice people do not do things like this, and do not insult our intelligence by implying that they were !

[klauskunkel]

nice to know that the 'suspect' was a nice person, were the victims nice persons, too?

[SgtRock]

Scott, on 04 Dec 2015 - 23:00, said:

It sounds like the link to ISIS is tenuous. I would assume that ISIS would have claimed responsibility if they were closely linked.

There was a story, since removed on the Guardian this morning stating that IS had claimed responsibility.

[Tchooptip]

I would call that indecency

[Doc46]

Muslim community groups have condemned the massacre and urged the public not to blame Islam or Muslims, amid fears their religion could be demonised and Islamophobia could spread

Too late.

Of course they would,Got to cover your ass!

[Ghostnigel]

Nice person my arse ! Nice people do not do things like this, and do not insult our intelligence by implying that they were !

He probably didn't know what he had married into....until it was too late. Maybe he was being radicalised by his mrs, and didn't even realise. He must have prepared for it, any normal, nice person doesnt have pipe-bombs laying around.

[slipperylobster]

As usual....the man was an angel...and the weapon was the devil.

Must of been his weapon was forcing his will.

[slipperylobster]

Muslim community groups have condemned the massacre and urged the public not to blame Islam or Muslims, amid fears their religion could be demonised and Islamophobia could spread

Too late.

Once again..the barn door was closed after (something) bolted. I think it was a gun.

We must stop blaming muslims...and start blaming weapons....according to much wiser folks down under