More Orlando

I've been pondering some more on Orlando.

Seddique Mateen is the father of Omar Mateen the shooter in Orlando.  Seddique is running for President of Afghanistan and is apparently very well connected inside the Washington beltway.  He is also the source of this quote about his son Omar.

“We were in Downtown Miami, Bayside, people were playing music, and he saw two men kissing each other in front of his wife and kid and he got very angry. They were kissing each other and touching each other and he said, ‘Look at that. In front of my son they are doing that.’ And they we were in the men’s bathroom and men were kissing each other.”

That quote probably doesn't seem particularly interesting to the average American.  If anything it demonstrates an example of cross cultural dissidence, or provides after the fact evidence that the shooting was a hate crime.  To western ears it doesn't communicate a whole lot of subtext.

 

I don't think the remark was meant for westerners.  I think it was aimed at an entirely different audience.  I think that quote is full of sub textual information.

• Eastern cultures tend to be more restrained in public, kissing even between married people doesn't happen publicly, its shameful
• Sexuality isn't something displayed in front of others, especially in front of other peoples children
• A married man is the moral as well, as physical protector of his wife and children
• A Muslim living in the west excuses some things in the culture by rationalizing "its not me doing that on the TV, etc" but despises the people doing them

Omar was born and raised in the United States.  He lived here.  He was an American we are told.  Just like all the other regular American kids.  If Seddique Mateen wasn't trying to pin a hate crime on his son, what was he communicating?

He was giving the Islamic equivalent of a "family values" reference.  Seddique Mateen was telling everyone in his constituent base: "I'm a true Muslim", "I raised my kid right", "We hate the sin in America", "We stand for Islam".  He was building credibility with Muslim hardliners in Afghanistan.  His son waged jihad on American soil, against a readily identifiable sign of cultural decay.  He didn't come out and say, "and I am proud of my son", but the folks in Afghanistan know what he meant.

When the day comes that Seddique Mateen rules Afghanistan, will he been seen as a American puppet working for Washington?  If he isn't, will that be because his son shot up a gay bar?

Where is Omar Mateen's body?  Is he really dead?  Where are the other shooters?  Why isn't the gay friendly American media proclaiming this shooting as the pinnacle of hate crimes?