Press Conference of the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan
New York, City Hall, NYC Oct. 14, 2014
A Call to Justice and Rejection of Violent Extremism
A Statement from the Majlis Ash-Shura (Islamic Leadership Council) of
Metropolitan New York
Thirteen years ago
during the immediate aftermath of the september 11th atrocities, the
Majlis Ash-Shura, also known as the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan
New York, wrote and distributed 10,000 brochures on the streets of our city.
The brochures conveyed our message of condolences to all who lost loved ones in
those horrid attacks. We denounced terrorism, which we identified as
politically motivated violence against innocents. Further, we urged the Western powers to
seriously investigate those factors that were fomenting extremism amongst
Muslims.
Today, our message
remains essentially the same. Throughout
the planet, there are people of
different racial and ethnic groups, many religions or beliefs, or lack thereof, and various political
ideologies, who are committing terrorist acts.
Regretfully, extremist Muslims are to be found amongst them
No reasonable
person blames all Christians or
Christianity itself, or all Jews or
Judaism itself, or all Hindus or Buddhists
or their faiths, or atheists for that matter, for acts of terrorism committed
by a distinct minority of people from those groups. Yet too often we find
Muslims collectively burdened with guilt by association of faith, when
individuals or groups who claim to be acting in the name of Islam, instead act
outside of it’s moral and ethical
boundaries. Then the media or others , place the blame for atrocities on Islamic extremists or terrorists, when
our faith is not extreme nor does it advocate terrorism.
Since the very
night of September 11, 2001, Muslim
groups throughout America and the world have been denouncing the targeting of
innocent, non-combatant civilians and others, by extremist Muslims. Yet all of us are constantly asked “Why
don’t you say something?” To which we reply “We have, and we are, the question
is why aren’t you aware of that?”
So today, we as
leaders of Muslim congregations and houses of worship throughout New York City,
say again for all to hear that we denounce acts of extremist violence no matter
whom or what. Certainly there are violent extremists who are Muslims, but their
acts of terrorism are not Islamic. They are un-Islamic.
In our society we
hear from the lips of Islamophobes or those influenced by them, that the
canonical law of Islam, Sharia law,
is to blame for acts of terrorism committed by extremist Muslims. However the
truth is that the sacred laws of our faith, forbid the very acts being
committed by extremist Muslims, be they individuals or groups.
So as Muslim
leaders in New York City, we stand in solidarity with the distinct majority of
people throughout America and the world, including the viable scholars of our
religion both here in America and abroad, in denouncing all acts of political
violence committed by extremist individuals, groups, or governments, regardless
of the color of their skin, the country of their origin, their religion or lack
thereof, or their politics.
We do so because
as Muslim leaders we stand for justice. We are ever mindful that there are
injustices in the world that need to be righted. We feel the pain in our
hearts, of Muslims oppressed anywhere in the world. Too many of those
injustices are committed by Muslims against Muslims and others, and vice-versa.
It matters not the identity of the perpetuators of injustice, nor its victims.
Right is right and wrong is wrong is wrong, and oppression and injustice are
wrong , no matter whom or what. However we
of the Majlis Ash-Shura do not believe that two wrongs make a right. We are
here today to make it clear that struggling for justice is right, and violent
extremism is wrong.
Today, we are announcing our implementation of
a Four-Point-Citywide response, to appeals from anywhere in the world, calling
Muslims to acts of terrorism:
1.
Beginning this week, on our web-site and in
social media, we are posting our principled opposition against terrorism, with
evidences from the primary sources of our faith - our holy book the Qur’an, and
the Sunna, or Prophetic tradition of the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad
Ibn Abdullah, to whom the Qur’an was revealed, peace be upon him.
2.
We continue to declare that we stand for both
public safety and the civil,
constitutional and human rights of all Americans,
including Muslims. We continue to stand ready to partner reasonably with those
whose commitment is to both of these essential elements of American society.
3.
This
Friday Oct 17th, simultaneous sermons will be delivered at mosques
throughout the city upholding the principle of justice, yet denouncing
extremist acts and tactics that exceed the boundaries of Islamic sacred law.
4.
This November, we will once again sponsor our
citywide mosque open-house events, as we have done for the past four years;
where-in Muslim houses of worship will open their doors for visits and
activities, with our neighbors of other faiths.
Lastly, we call
upon the governments of the world to stop using state-sponsored violence as a
tool of oppression and repression of the masses of people seeking freedom,
justice, and equality. We call for the elimination of poverty, which is itself
a weapon of mass destruction *, as well
as all economic, political, and social injustice, which leaves persons vulnerable
to calls to extremism, as the only viable solution to the very real problems of
society.
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