--- description: The father of the man who gunned down 49 people inside a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando denounced terrorism and homophobia. title: Father of Orlando Shooter Denounces Terrorism as the 'Enemy' of Humanity image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1fbb948661701bba/69889769f887dc77f9e963af/omar-mateen-orlando.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Father of Orlando Shooter Denounces Terrorism as the 'Enemy' of Humanity  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 13, 2016 12:31 PM CUT  Omar Mateen, 29, in a photo provided by the Orlando Police Department. Omar Mateen, 29, in a photo provided by the Orlando Police Department.Orlando Police Department  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 13, 2016 12:31 PM CUT The father of the [man who gunned down dozens of people](http://time.com/4365360/orlando-shooting-omar-mateen/ "undefined") inside a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando reiterated his apologies to the American people and denounced terrorism as the “enemy” of humanity on Monday. [Seddique Mir Mateen](http://time.com/4365623/orlando-shooting-suspect-father-afghanistan/ "undefined"), the father of Omar Mateen, condemned his son’s deadly actions in a [video he posted on his Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/seddique.mateen/videos/vb.100002026243192/1010449855699213 "undefined"), saying he did not realize his son had “anger in his heart,” according to a translation by the [New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/live/orlando-nightclub-shooting-live-updates/father-of-orlando-gunman-expresses-regret-and-confusion/ "undefined"). He spoke in Dari, a language used in Afghanistan. The younger Mateen, 29, took hostages and opened fire inside Pulse Orlando early Sunday, in a mass shooting that left 49 people dead and 53 others injured before Mateen was killed during a gun battle with police. The gunman’s father on Sunday had said the shooting had “nothing to do with religion” and may have been sparked months ago by the sight of two men kissing in Miami, which angered him, according to an interview with [NBC News](http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/omar-mateen-s-father-apologizes-after-orlando-pulse-massacre-n590821 "undefined"). “Only God can punish homosexuality,” the elder Mateen said in the video. “This is not an issue for humans to punish.” “I am really sorry and have expressed this to the people of the United States, especially in this holy month of Ramadan,” he added. He told NBC News that he hates “terrorism” and that ISIS “should be destroyed.” “I always \[was\] telling him that … the terrorists and terrorism are the enemy of the whole humanity,” he added. “I am very angry and mad at him.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4366014/orlando-shooting-omar-mateen-father-homophobia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4366014/orlando-shooting-omar-mateen-father-homophobia/"},"headline":"Father of Orlando Shooter Denounces Terrorism as the 'Enemy' of Humanity","datePublished":"2016-06-13T12:31:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T09:46:46.165Z","description":"“Only God can punish homosexuality\"","url":"https://time.com/4366014/orlando-shooting-omar-mateen-father-homophobia/","keywords":["Crime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1fbb948661701bba/69889769f887dc77f9e963af/omar-mateen-orlando.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1fbb948661701bba/69889769f887dc77f9e963af/omar-mateen-orlando.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"omar-mateen-orlando","caption":"Omar Mateen, 29, in a photo provided by the Orlando Police Department.","creditText":"Orlando Police Department","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4366014/orlando-shooting-omar-mateen-father-homophobia/","name":"Father of Orlando Shooter Denounces Terrorism as the 'Enemy' of Humanity"}}]}] ```