September 16, 2014
The recent 9/11 anniversary of the 2001 attacks by al Qaeda on the Twin Towers in Manhattan and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., also brought with it, especially in light of the present actions of ISIS/ISIL, memories of the backlash against Muslim and even Sikh communities on our own continent. Those memories underline how important it is to build relationships with people of other faiths – especially in our efforts to help those who are the victims of such violence and to seek together the common goal of peace.
The Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said as much when it reasserted their commitment to dialogue with other religions and Muslims in particular in an Aug. 19 statement. The committee listed tensions between Christians and Muslims in different parts of the world as a primary reason for reaffirming the need for dialogue.
“We understand the confusion and deep emotions stirred by real and apparent acts of aggression and discrimination by certain Muslims against non-Muslims, often against Christians abroad,” the bishops wrote. “Along with many of our fellow Catholics and the many Muslims who themselves are targeted by radicals, we wish to voice our sadness, indeed our outrage, over the random and sometimes systematic acts of violence and harassment – acts that for both Christians and Muslims threaten to disrupt the harmony that binds us together in mutual support, recognition and friendship.”
For their part, national and North American Muslim organizations have been at pains to let citizens in general know where they stand. The Institute for Islamic and Turkish Studies condemned the atrocities being carried out by ISIL/ISIS in Syria and Iraq: “Islam is a religion of peace. It forbids the injury of innocents, in particular women, children, the elderly, and even of crops, trees, natural resources and property.”
The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations also spoke out: “USCMO roundly condemns this group and rejects its ideology and actions. The terror organization ISIS, does not speak or act on behalf of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims. In fact, they have killed so many Muslims indiscriminately. Their actions are reprehensible, inhumane and completely contravene all aspects and tenets of Islam.”
USCMO also underlined that it “states in the Qur’an that the taking of one life is the equivalent of the killing of all humankind, and the saving of one life is equivalent to the saving of all humankind. Islam abhors and rejects the murder, mayhem and terror being spread by this group of criminal individuals.”
The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) said in an Aug. 29 press release that “these inhumane acts by ISIS are a clear indication that the terrorist group is morally bankrupt and that their tactics undermine fundamental Islamic legal and ethical pronouncements on the sanctity of human life and protection of non-combatants.”
Part two of this article will be posted on Thursday, Sept. 18.