MPAC Condemns the Violent Actsin Norway
Los Angeles, CA: The Muslim Public Affairs Council strongly condemns the acts of violence in Utoya and Oslo, Norway, where 92 lives were lost. Our condolences go to the victims' families loved ones as they pick up the pieces after Friday's tragedy, says an MPAC Press Release datelined July 24. It adds:
Yesterday, Norwegian police charged Anders Behring Breivik, 32, a right-wing fundamentalist Christian, in connection with the bombing in central Oslo and a shooting attack in the nearby island of Utoya.
"We are horrified by this senseless act of violence and, as expressed by President Barack Obama, we stand in solidarity with the people of Norway," said MPAC President Salam Al-Marayati. "Terrorism has no religion, and we should fight this disease."
Initial articles and blogs drew the immediate conclusion the attacks were the work of Muslims, labeling it an act of terrorism. Counterterrorism "experts" were brought in to speak about the attack, the deadliest in the country since World War II.
"It was soon learned the main suspect in the case as a gun-loving Norwegian obsessed with what he saw as the threat of multiculturalism and Muslim immigration," said the New York Times.
It is during tragic times like these that we must ensure that responsibility and conscious reporting and analysis is used by pundits and politicians. Ensuring that accuracy is part of our discourse will allow for respect for the victims and their families who are suffering tremendously.
SEE:"The Fight to Defend Our Own Narrative" (MPAC)
Founded in 1988, MPAC is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of Muslim Americans.
