SoCal Muslim Leaders Denounce ISIS Killing of American Journalist Steven Sotloff
Anaheim, CA: On the evening of Tuesday Sept 2, the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) held a news conference along with leaders of the Southern California Muslim community to condemn the murder of American journalist Steven Sotloff by the terrorist group ISIS.
American journalist Steven J. Sotloff, 31, was executed by the ISIS militant group, with a video of his barbaric murder posted on the Internet.
During the news conference Tuesday night, local Muslims leaders joined CAIR-LA in offering their condolences to Sotloff’s loved ones, and their disgust at Islamic State’s actions.
"As Muslims we declare unequivocally that the barbaric conduct of ISIS is an outright violation of Islam and its teachings." said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush, "It is morally repellent and it's cruel."
Hassan Twiet, the president of the Syrian-American Council of the Los Angeles Chapter (SAC-LA) observed that the journalists were “brave heroes who were trying to shine a light on the Assad regime and ISIS crimes and the suffering of Syrians.”
“As a religious leader and someone who studied the Islamic tradition thoroughly, the actions of those individuals do not reflect any Islamic teachings,” said Mohammad Faqih, the Imam and religious director of the Islamic Institute of Orange County. “This is a very small group that has no friends among the mainstream leaders of the Muslim world. I can’t think of a normal human being doing something like this.”
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