On behalf of the Muslim Student Association, I write this to say that the campus Muslim community condemns in the strongest of terms the terrorist attacks made upon the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Because of the long reaching shadow of human loss in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, it is unfortunate that our attention should shift from the alleviation of human suffering.
However, media saturation of anti-Arab and anti-Islamic sentiment must be addressed. Let it be clear: these abhorrent criminal activities in no way represent the teachings of Islam.
The tenets of Islam do not promote violence. The taking of innocent life is of the utmost repulsive and offensive sins according to our beliefs.
In these times, there has been an unfortunate departure from adherence to the high spiritual and moral standards that Islam calls to its followers. The most disturbing example of this, to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, are the Islamic "fundamentalists."
These groups have draped their political agendas with religious rhetoric, perhaps to make their goals seem less reactionary.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Such people easily become distorted through the rose-tinted portholes of our television screens.
Through this particular lens, it is simple to interpret Islam as a fist shaking, slogan chanting, bomb-making threat to the West. Foolish, reactionary behavior done in the name of our universal religion besmirches the name of Muslims the world over.
Many traditional Islamic scholars say that such acts of barbarism are the result of the spiritual and ethical values of Islam being replaced by pseudo-religious, political rhetoric.
Imam Zaid Shakir, an American Muslim scholar, says in his article "The Changing Face of Secularism and the Islamic Response" that, "The insecurity, rootlessness and anomie resulting from the elimination of religiously informed traditional institutions provides the conditions which encourage.ethnically based hate groups.and oftentimes violence-prone religious fundamentalism."
Ideologies based on hate are divorced from the Islamic message of peace and unity of all mankind under one, merciful God. Another American Muslim scholar, Sheikh Hamza Yusef, says in his book "Agenda to Change our Condition," "Neither Americans nor the Western people are our enemies. As long as Muslims attack the nebulous `West' as the sole enemy of Islam, we will only reveal our own bankruptcy at presenting the message of Islam to these people who.invite us to their schools and institutions to tell them about it."
"Muslims are peace-loving, law abiding people," says Sheikh Hamza, "but Muslims are also commanded by Allah to be witnesses unto humanity. In order to fulfill this, we must first be witnesses unto ourselves, (as it says in the Koran): `Do you command people to righteousness and forget yourselves?'" (Koran 2:44).
Or course, we still condemn the oppression of our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Chechnya, Kashmir and other places too numerous to mention. We still call for justice in the face of our oppressors, but one act of terror does not justify another.
As Americans, before we thrust our fingers towards the Middle East, let us not forget that the most destructive terrorist attack in this country prior to this tragedy was carried out at the hands of a white, middle class American, trained by the U.S. government to create destruction. Whoever is responsible for such criminal acts must be brought to justice, no matter what rhetoric they lay claim to.
Despite the stereotypes, the way to salvation in Islam is through decency and good works.
"Truly, God is with those who perform acts of excellence and beauty," (Koran 29:41).
As for murder, the Koran tells us, "whosoever kills a human being it shall be like killing all humanity; and whosoever saves a life, saves the entire human race," (Koran 5:32).
Our prayers are with the victims and those giving their lives to save them.
May God alleviate this, and all human suffering.
by Ali Ellis
Daily Lobo Guest Columnist
Ali Ellis is vice president of the UNM Muslim Student Association.
