Farook clashed with a co-worker over religion just two weeks before

[underahedgerow]

he and his wife stormed an office holiday party in California.

The radicalized San Bernardino gunman clashed with a Jewish co-worker over religion just two weeks before he and his Pakistani wife stormed an office holiday party where they massacred 14 people.
Syed Farook, 28, got into a heated argument with colleague Nicholas Thalasinos, a Messianic Jew who was identified today as one of the victims of Wednesday’s rampage.

snip

Kuuleme Stephens said she had happened to call Thalasinos while he was at work and having a discussion with Farook.

Thalasinos identified Farook by name and told her the 28-year-old believed Islam was a peaceful religion. She added that Farook said that Americans do not understand Islam.

Stephens said both men worked as county restaurant inspectors and regularly discussed politics and religion. Thalasinos was passionate about pro-Israel causes and was known to rant about Islam on Facebook.

The New York Post reported that Thalasinos' Facebook page was filled with negative comments about Muslims and references to his conservative beliefs.

In one of his final status updates on Tuesday, Thalasinos responded to an anti-Semitic tirade allegedly penned by an apparent Muslim living in Ukraine, who railed against Jews and Israel.
‘Anyway my new hobby appears to be BLOCKING PAGAN ANTISEMITIC TROGLODYTES so I'm just passing this along to warn others,’ was Thalasinos' reply.

He was back online early on Wednesday morning sharing articles about Russian President Vladimir Putin and posting a negative comment about President Obama.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3344350/Devout-Muslim-citizen-Saudi-wife-living-American-Dream-identified-heavily-armed-duo-burst-office-holiday-party-slaughtered-14-leaving-baby-mother.html

[TwilightGardener]

1. He didn't deserve to die. RIP, Mr. Thalasinos.

[AngryAmish]

2. ......and that is why I never discuss religion or politics in real life.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

3. Messianic Jew?

So a Christian? Messianic Jews are not Jews at all.

[LiberalElite]

8. They're kind of a mixture-

I think of them as confused. Just my 2 cents.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

9. Most seem to be evangelical Christians who have adopted Jewish customs.

Kind of offensive IMO.

[LiberalElite]

10. They're not appreciated by

the Jews who they try to imitate, either.

[Nye Bevan]

60. Who cares? Some Catholics and Protestants don't get along, either.

As long as they don't start murdering each other they can disagree about theology to their hearts' content for all I care.

[FrodosPet]

57. Why is it offensive?

Is it mocking "real" Judaism?

[Nye Bevan]

59. No, "kind of offensive" is when followers of a religion commit mass murder

in the name of that religion, and I don't remember any examples of Messianic Jews doing that. I really don't give a shit about what kinds of Gods or prophets people believe in as long as it doesn't cause them to commit terroristic acts.

[VanillaRhapsody]

55. Thats not how Evangelicals see them...

Thats part of thier End Times theology.

[RegexReader]

11. Go tell that to the SS for

they loaded my wife's grandmother up on a west bound train in Minsk even though she attended Orthodox mass with her husband.

Hate knows no reason.

[Kber]

23. Jews for Jesus

Like Vegitarians for Meat

[VanillaRhapsody]

56. Exactly!

[underahedgerow]

4. He also hated Obama.

Interesting.

[Kingofalldems]

18. How is it interesting?

[underahedgerow]

33. Because the victim was an ultra conservative, pro-lifer who hated Obama (a liberal)

and let his personal beliefs be well known, and engaged the murderer in an inflammatory, ongoing debate in the workplace.

They were both very radical in their 'beliefs', and everyone around them suffered for it. Normal, healthy people just don't do this kind of crap.

Is fanatical belief in religion a mental illness? Or a symptom of mental illness? I don't even know how to process this.

[Yorktown]

38. Is fanatical belief in religion a mental illness?

Or is religion a mental disease?

Your pick.

[hifiguy]

45. Six of one,

half a dozen of the other.

[Yorktown]

47. Do I gift wrap them?

[snooper2]

65. Depends if they literally follow their holy book or not- Most people give it lip service

Both of the men mentioned in this article should take their holy wars somewhere else-

How hard would it be to just dump all radical fundies from all religions in the middle of Syria and let them have it out once and for all. Whoever wins gets the shithole...

[GummyBearz]

62. I'd say one was a bit more radical than the other...

you know... the one who killed 14 people because of an "inflammatory debate"

[BeyondGeography]

5. This is why I limit my online politics to anonymous postings

and do my level best not to discuss politics with co-workers (most of whom are happy to oblige). Not because I'm afraid of getting killed, but who needs the additional stress and social complications?

[Ron Green]

48. That's a shame; politics and religion are the most important things to discuss.

As a child, I always heard they should never be discussed in public. Eventually I figured out our masters don't want people to discuss anything that might bring change - hence sports and TV shows.

[BeyondGeography]

53. True, but they have fuck all to do with the vast majority of jobs, including mine

Don't worry, my conversational life outside of work is plenty rich. And there's always the odd kindred spirit with whom I can talk freely on the job. Most Americans are more focused on money and bullshit anyway or, if they have political views, not that informed or interesting to talk to so it's easy to keep things professional. This isn't France, where le débat is social sport and people bring actual book learning to vivid conversation.

[callous taoboy]

54. I don't discuss politics at work. It is not professional to do so.

I had a boss that used to try to engage me, bullying me a little about being Democrat. I did not engage. I did not want extra scrutiny or any other retaliation from upper management.

[justiceischeap]

6. I wondered in another thread yesterday if this was a hate crime

Given the environment towards Muslims it wouldn't surprise me if he had run-ins with his co-workers.

[Schema Thing]

19. If he had genuine conflict, ie; the guy was goading and insulting him

That argues against, not for, labeling it a hate crime.



But I guess he really showed him wrt Islam being a religion of peace, eh?

[Marrah_G]

7. Religion strikes again

[Wilms]

12. Messianic Judaism is new to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messianic_Judaism

It's as if two guys get into an argument and 13 innocent bystanders get killed. And it's a sad metaphor.

[hifiguy]

21. The too-long history of wars over fairy tales

always shows that the bystanders suffer the brunt. Can't humanity outgrow arguments about which imaginary being has the bigger dick? Apparently not.

[flamingdem]

13. omg - good that we're anonymous here!

Ouch. Schools need to teach tolerance asap.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

14. Just looked at Thalasinos' FB page --

Dude was just about as crazy as the Farook.

[flamingdem]

15. Was just going to do that - this will be classified as Workplace Violence mostly now

though it's clear they were going for some other larger target/s

[Hell Hath No Fury]

17. There is just so much about this story --

that need filling in. I hope they're able to crack it.

[FLPanhandle]

16. Two idiots arguing of who's imaginary sky daddy is correct

*sigh*

When will human beings give up their superstitions.

[Kber]

24. Even better...

They both worshiped the same sky God.

Argument was over who was the favorite child.

If there is a god, guess they might find out now.

[ellenrr]

44. ha. If I believed in god, heaven and such, I would enjoy imagining both of them at

the pearly gates:
"but he started it".

"no, HE started it".

"he called me a name"

whhaa

[Yorktown]

40. Sky daddy should be in the dock

But again, somehow, it will have nothing to do with 'real' Islam or 'real' religion.

[hifiguy]

20. Oh brother.

Antimatter nut meets matter nut. Explosion results.

Another powerful argument for the proposition the religion is the worst of all human inventions.

[6chars]

25. only one was a murderer

so not quite equivalent

[hifiguy]

26. True but both batshit wack.

[6chars]

28. one more so - the one who killed all the people

imho

[840high]

30. Yep

[CBGLuthier]

51. By your definition most of the world is "batshit wack."

I may be an atheist but I don't see the need to view it that way. This world achieved a hellofalot by the efforts of bullshit wack people. Your derision is part of the problem not the solution.

[TwilightGardener]

27. Yes--Opinions and beliefs aren't actions. I find it sad that people are going into his FB to judge

a dead man because of his beliefs about Muslims and religion--when being killed by a non-peaceful Muslim is the whole reason we in the public even know Mr. Thalasinos existed.

[Egnever]

35. Sounds like both were traveling down the same path though.

Who is to say what would have happened in time. The mindset of both seems very similar.

[melman]

37. Who is to say what a murder victim might have done in time?

Unbelievable.

[TwilightGardener]

39. You know nothing about this man. He didn't do anything to anybody.

Why do terror victims need to be scrutinized like this?

[Jesus Malverde]

42. Bizarre....nt

[Yorktown]

41. religion is the worst of all human inventions. Nicely put.

[GummyBearz]

22. Wow...

"Thalasinos identified Farook by name and told her the 28-year-old believed Islam was a peaceful religion. She added that Farook said that Americans do not understand Islam."


Then a few days later he killed 14 people to prove how peaceful his religion is. Or is that me "not understanding him"?

[oberliner]

29. The Daily Mail is a RW British tabloid

Not the greatest of sources.

[840high]

32. They criticize Trump daily. DM

is my nightly treat. I get to see how regular people think.

[elleng]

31. OH CRAP!

[complain jane]

34. I read somewhere that the Thalasinos guy

received death threats online in the days prior to the shooting, but now that he appears to have been a hateful nut, I'm not surprised other hateful nuts threatened him. Could have been anybody.

But I also read that Farook got mad at Thalasinos because Thalasinos wanted him to admit that the Muslim religion is violent and Farook insisted it wasn't violent. Then he killed everybody.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/12/03/names-of-san-bernadino-shooting-victims-begin-to-emerge/76740066/

[underahedgerow]

36. The crazy get crazier.... it's all so mindlessly irrational.

and it's all completely in their minds, in their imaginations... until the bullets and bombs get real.

[malaise]

43. So he killed fourteen people and injured 21 others because of one

hater - over religion.

No wonder I hate all religion

[Nye Bevan]

61. Ummm.... based on his weapons arsenal I'm pretty sure he was planning a Jihadi attack anyway.

His hatred of his Jewish coworker may have helped him decide on his target.

[Bonobo]

46. "Messianic Jews" are not Jews.

They are believers in Jesus Christ as savior and that makes them Christians (whatever they may call themselves).

[CBGLuthier]

64. You do know that jew is both a religion and an ethnicity, right?

I am quite sure the nazis did not care if you liked the Jesus or not if you had Jewish ancestors.

[Bonobo]

67. Nope, I don't know anything about Jews, pal.

Just 50 years of experience being one.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

49. Someday we'll recognize this is as stupid as sports fans arguing

Although at least sports is real.

[Yupster]

50. This thread should be deleted

Are we really insulting a guy who was just cold blooded murdered by a maniac?

[Democat]

52. If he's white or Christian, DU is okay with attacking him

Just look at the difference in reaction to this shooting and the Planned Parenthood one.

[jeff47]

66. Being murdered by a maniac does not erase his past. (nt)

[Coventina]

58. Soo.......Farook went on a killing rampage to prove that Islam is peaceful?

That's a pretty amazing way to prove one's point!

[GummyBearz]

63. He also said "Americans don't understand Islam"

Maybe that's the answer... we just don't understand how his actions proved that Islam is peaceful