Less than two dozen men attended the 2:30 p.m. prayer Sunday at the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, the place Omar Mateen came several times a week to say his prayers until just days before he opened fire at Orlando's Pulse nightclub.
The mosque’s imam, Syed Shafeeq Rahman said as he began to lead the small group, all he could do was cry.
“I cried for all the people who died,” Rahman said. “Of course, it is a big shock for us.”
Rahman said he’s known Mateen since shortly after he took over as imam of the mosque in 2005. He said Mateen attended sporadically, but his three sisters were much more active, performing some tasks inside the mosque including cleaning it regularly.
When Mateen came in, he was usually with his 3-year-old son, other mosque members said. He talked to some about traveling and his job working security, but Rahman said he can’t remember ever having a conversation with Mateen.
>> Read more coverage of the Orlando nightclub shooting
Rahman said in his messages he never spoke against homosexuality, but did speak out against any form of extremism.
“There is nothing outside the door that says you can’t come in and worship God and be here and pray if you are gay,” he said.
As for the statements Mateen made about ISIS, Rahman thinks that he may have done that for publicity. He says the mosque has no ties to the terrorist organization and speaks out against them at every gathering.
“They have hijacked our religion,” Rahman said. “They have caused more trouble for us than anyone.”
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