LGBTQ, Muslim Leaders in Montgomery County Condemn Orlando Club Shooting

Montgomery Village, MD — Montgomery County elected officials, LGBTQ leaders and Muslim groups have planned a solidarity event for Monday night in the wake of the nation's largest mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, FL.

The local gathering will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, June 13, at WORDE headquarters, 19650 Club House Road, Suite 205, Montgomery Village.

The shooting Sunday at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando left 50 people dead and 53 people hospitalized, making it the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

The gunman, identified as Omar Mateen, had been the subject of two terrorism-related investigations of by the FBI, both of which were closed for lack of evidence. Despite his claims of allegiance to ISIS, the FBI said he had no known ties to the group or direct ties to any other terrorist. Read more.

• Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts, or like us on Facebook.

In a statement the organizers said the Muslim community and the LGBTQ community condemn in the strongest terms the murder of dozens of people and injuries of dozens more. Just last week, our champion Muhammad Ali brought together people of all faiths to celebrate his life and legacy. Today we mourn another attack on our citizens surely meant to divide us rather than bring us together.  

“We will not let hatred and terror to divide our society and the families that lost their loved ones. You have our regrets and condolences, but more importantly our support and solidarity. Together, we are one greater community,” said Muslim Democratic Club of Montgomery County President Hamza Khan.

 “These events highlight what we have long known to be true - that the struggle is not over as we work to create a world in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are free to live authentically, with safety and dignity, in their own communities across Maryland, our country, or the world,” said Patrick Paschall of Freestate Legal and Equality Maryland.

The sponsors for this event include the Islamic Society of Germantown, Haneefiya Islamic Center of America, Muslim Democratic Club of Montgomery County, IMAAM, Young Leaders Institute, WORDE, FreeState Legal, Equality Maryland, American Muslim Peace Initiative, American Muslim Women’s Empowerment Council, Episcopal Church of the Ascension-Silver Spring, Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, Indonesian Center of North Virginia, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Foundation, and the  Inayat Begum Foundation.