Prominent Muslim scholars, organizations and
movements, representing the vast majority of Muslims worldwide, have
repeatedly condemned terrorism, and have spoken out for peace and
justice. Following is a very brief list of such open condemnation of
terrorism, including statements issued in the wake of the heinous
attacks on September 11.
1. The American Muslim Political Co-ordination Committee (AMPCC),
which is a group of major American Muslim organizations, including
ICNA (our parent organization), issued a statement on September 11,
2001 condemning the terrorist attacks. The AMPCC statement read in
part:
"American Muslims utterly condemn what are vicious and cowardly acts
of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans
in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the
perpetrators. No political cause could ever be assisted by such
immoral acts."
2. Major American Muslim organizations including the Islamic Circle
of North America, are signatories to the following statement
released on September 21, 2001.
American Muslim Response to the September Attacks
Released September 21, 2001
We, the undersigned Muslim organizations, support the President and
Congress of the U.S. in the struggle against terrorism. Holding to
the ideals of both our religion and our country, we condemn all
forms of terrorism, and confirm the need for perpetrators of any
such acts of violence to be brought to justice, including those who
carried out the attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
At the same time, in the planning of this "war against terrorism,"
we call upon the President and Congress to reaffirm the values and
principles that make this country great, namely that one is innocent
until proven guilty, that all accused have the right to a fair
trial, that no one be punished for the acts of another, and that
respect for human life is supreme, regardless of race or religion.
To this end, we urge the U.S. government not to abandon the due
process of law in determining responsibility for the attacks and
punishing the guilty parties.
We are saddened by the possibility of military action, as we do not
believe that terrorism can be eliminated solely or even effectively
through military force. Rather we call upon our leaders to recognize
that in order to rid the world of the ugliness of terrorism, our
nation must understand its root causes. We hold out the hope that
these root causes can be addressed through non-violent means, in a
way that promotes peace and harmony between the nations of the
world.
Signed:
Afghan Muslim Association (Fremont, CA)
American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice (AMGPJ)
American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism (AMILA)
Arab-American Congress, Council on American-Islamic Relations
(Northern California)
Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Bay Area
Islamic Networks Group (ING)
Islamic Society of the East Bay (Union City, CA)
Islamic Society of San Francisco
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) West Zone
Muslim American Society
Muslim Community Association (MCA)
Muslim Peace Fellowship (Nyack, NY)
South Bay Islamic Association (San Jose, CA)
Zaytuna Institute (Hayward, CA)
3. Prominent scholars worldwide have condemned terrorism as a heresy
against Islam. The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University, the oldest
seat of Islamic learning, Sheikh Muhammed Sayyed Tantawi, has
repeatedly condemned terrorism. He said in the name of Islamic law,
he rejected and condemned the aggression against innocent civilian
people, regardless of whatever side, sect or country the aggression
came from. Prominent scholars of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin
Abdullah bin Baz and Shaykh Uthaimeen, also condemned the terrorist
attacks. Every other major scholar of Islam, has come out against
the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians.
Statements of Prominent Islamic Scholars
“Hijacking planes, terrorizing innocent people and shedding blood
constitute a form of injustice that can not be tolerated by Islam,
which views them as gross crimes and sinful acts"
- Shaykh Abdul Aziz al-Ashaikh (Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and
Chairman of the Senior Ulama, on September 15th, 2001)
“The terrorists acts, from the perspective of Islamic law,
constitute the crime of hirabah (waging war against society)"
Sept. 27, 2001 fatwa, signed by:
- Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi (Grand Islamic Scholar and Chairman of
the Sunna and Sira Countil, Qatar)
- Judge Tariq al-Bishri, First Deputy President of the Council
d'etat, Egypt
- Dr. Muhammad s. al-Awa, Professor of Islamic Law and Shari'a,
Egypt
- Dr. Haytham al-Khayyat, Islamic scholar, Syria
- Fahmi Houaydi, Islamic scholar, Syria
- Shaykh Taha Jabir al-Alwani, Chairman, North America High Council
“Neither the law of Islam nor its ethical system justify such a
crime."
- Zaki Badawi, Principal of the Muslim College in London. Cited in
Arab News, Sept. 28, 2001.
"It is wrong to kill innocent people. It is also wrong to praise
those who kill innocent people."
- Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, Pakistan. Cited in NY Times, Sept. 28,
2001.
*Ingrid Mattson, a professor of Islamic studies and Muslim-Christian
relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, said there was no basis
in Islamic law or sacred text for Mr. bin Laden's remarks. "The
basic theological distortion is that any means are permitted to
achieve the end of protesting against perceived oppression."
- Dr. Ingrid Mattson, (President of the Islamic Society of North
America)
Conclusion
Muslims stand united in their condemnation of terrorist attacks and
any attempt to link their faith to heinous acts that question the
humanity of the perpetrators. The vast majority of Muslims worldwide
find in Islam, a faith that preaches devotion and good character,
not one that calls for hatred towards fellow humans.
For more information, please call 1-877—WHY-ISLAM or email
info@whyislam.org
