Muslims Condemn Mumbai Terrorist Attacks

One of the most brazen terrorist attacks in India's history came to an end Saturday after commandos killed the last remaining Islamic militants involved in a rampage that, in the end, left the country in a state of shock and 195 dead.

As is the case whenever an Islamic terrorist attack happens, narrow-minded bigots are spewing hateful rants against the Muslim community, blaming all adherents of the faith for the murderous actions of radical extremists.

A familiar refrain is echoing across the blogosphere: Why aren't mainstream Muslims condemning terrorism? Why don't they raise their voices in protest?

The truth of the matter is that Muslims are condemning the attacks.

"The occupation of the synogogue and killing people in hotels tarnishes the Muslim faith," said Kazim al-Muqdadi, a political science teacher at Baghdad University, according to the AP . "Anyone who slaughters people and screams 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great) is sick and ignorant."

And Inayat Bunglawala, who is the spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said, "a handful of terrorists like this bring the entire faith into disrepute."

It also needs noting that Muslims have been condemning terrorist acts as being un-Islamic for years. The Council on American-Islamic Relations started a petition against terrosism on their website a few years ago that has been signed by over 700,000 people. It begins thusly: "We, the undersigned Muslims, wish to state clearly that those who commit acts of terror are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the faith they claim to represent."

In an interview conducted on "60 minutes" in September 30, 2001, Imam Faisal Abdur Rauf was asked by the late Ed Bradley to clarify his feelings regarding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Here is his response: "It's painful. When this thing first happened, everybody in the community said, 'Oh, God, let this not be a person from our faith, tradition, our background.'"

When heinous acts of terrorism occur, it is important to direct one's rage and hatred against the vile subhuman miscreants who carry out the acts, and not to misdirect hatred, and God forbid, acts of violence against the wrong people. Peaceful, law-abiding Muslims cannot control the hideous acts of those who have hijacked their religion, and they must not be blamed for such acts. To do so is no different than hating all Germans for the Holocaust, or all Christians for the Inquisition. It makes no sense.

Sources:

wxtv.com

wkrg.com