ISIS Brutality Deserves Our Strongest Condemnation
By Akhtar H. Emon
Rancho Palos Verdes
CA
The brutal atrocities of the ISIS terrorist group are a disgrace to the faith they proclaim and should be declared as crimes against humanity.
Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish-American Islamic scholar, has made it very clear that "religion provides a foundation upon which to establish peace, human rights, freedoms and the rule of law. Any interpretations to the contrary, including the abuse of religion to fuel conflicts , are simply wrong and deceitful".
ISIS is using religious rhetoric to camouflage its cruelty, just as Al-Qaeda did 13 years ago, and Boko Haram initiated it in 2013. They are all suffering from a totalitarian mindset that denies human dignity and respect for the rights of others.
ISIS's violence against innocent civilians and journalists or the persecution of minorities such as Shias, Yazidis, and Kurds contradicts the teachings of the Qur'an and the tradition of the Prophet. Its group members are either ignorant of the faith they claim to follow, or their acts are fashioned to serve self-interest, or for those who are bank-rolling them.
In either case, the ISIS actions and misdeeds point to the fact that it is a terrorist group and should be brought to justice ASAP. They should be compelled to answer for their brutal crimes. Hamza Yusuf Hansen, a Berkeley, California Islamic scholar said it best : "After she studied Islam's requirements of providing protection to the captured victims, the mother of Steven Sotloff had a better understanding of Islam and she went at length to remind ISIS of their wrong-doings". Wish they had listened to her.
Our heartfelt condolences to the families of US journalists James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and the UK Aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, as well as the families of the deceased in Iraq and Syria. May they be granted strength and patience to bear the immense loss.
A posting reflecting the essence of this message can also be found on the website : www.AFSV.Org (Alliance for Shared Values) .
(The writer is President of the Arabic Language Institute Foundation, California)
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