Shura Council Statement on the Uvalde School Shooting and Firearm Violence
In the name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful
May 26, 2022
The Shura Council organization stands alongside the rest of our country in mourning the loss of innocent lives at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Such incidents are far too prevalent, as our communities reel from the devastating effects of lives being tragically ended and deal with the overwhelming physical, mental and social repercussions that result from such uncalled-for calamities.
The victims in this unfortunately repeated experience are among the 110 Americans that are killed with guns every single day in the United States. Such a staggering statistic can leave one numb, but we must stop to recognize that these are not just numbers, but actual human lives -- children, parents, teachers, co-workers, and family members who are faultless and caught in the middle of horrific violence. The trajectory of not only their lives, but of their loved ones and everyone around them is affected and things can never be the same. One of the ways to find out more about what's being done, what can be done, and how we can inform and inspire toward action is to access everytown.org.
The worth and importance of a human life is exclusively given weight in the Qur’an in many verses including in chapter 5 verse 32 where the gravity of taking one life is equated to losing all of humanity in totality since its detrimental to the safety and well-being of each and every living person, regardless of faith, time and place. The Prophetic injunctions on upholding of the sanctity of humanity demonstrates Islam's emphatic regard for the value to life.
We’ve gotten used to hearing about the Covid pandemic, but firearm deaths represent another type of public health crisis declared by numerous authorities. The long-lasting fallouts are so far reaching and so upending that we cannot function the same with the way this crisis continues to unfold. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those directly impacted by these catastrophic events in the United States, whether recently here in California or throughout the country as in New York, and even beyond our borders. We pray that Allah helps all those affected and enables us to be protectors and preservers of the God-given gift of being, helps us support and strengthen each other in this time by collaborating to reduce, prevent and progress toward stopping infliction of harm to self and harm to others, and work with our elected representatives and communities to consciously collaborate toward solutions to this problem. May Allah help and heal us all, Ameen.
- The Board of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California
