Two west suburban Chicago mosques received email threats after Sunday's mass shooting in Orlando, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago said Monday.
Council officials said the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub, led to at least two threats being sent, to the Islamic Center of Wheaton and Islamic Center of Naperville.
“It’s very unfortunate that some of our mosques have already received hate messages and even threats," Dr. Mohammed Kaiseruddin said. "We have passed those threats onto the local FBI office.”
The Orlando gunman, later identified by the FBI as Omar Mateen, 29, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, killed at least 49 people in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
"The Muslim community should not also be targeted against any hateful thing carried out by one individual over there,” Kaiseruddin said.
The Illinois chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) met with LGBT leaders Monday afternoon "to discuss ways to rise up together against the forces of hate, violence and polarization."
"We recognize that these misguided and evil forces represent a common threat to vulnerable minority communities," the organization said in a statement. "CAIR-Chicago stands in solidarity with the LGBT community."
In Chicago, police stepped up presence Sunday afternoon in the city's 19th District, which includes the North Side neighborhoods of Lake View, Lincoln Park and Boystown.
First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante ordered the stepped-up police presence in the wake of the attack and the arrest of a heavily armed man near the LA Pride parade, according to a release from the Department.
Increased police visibility will be present at all special events throughout the city and along the lakefront as well, according to Chicago Police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
"These measures are being done out of an abundance of caution," Guglielmi said. "There is no intelligence or threat against the LGBTQ community or any event within the City of Chicago."
