AsalaamuAlaikum wa Rahmatullah,
We at Croydon ICT believe it is our religious and moral responsibility to issue the following statement in order to guide our community and make clear the correct Islamic perspective in respect to the misguided and evil events that have taken place today.
Croydon ICT stands firm in our refutation of any acts of extremism, whether perpetrated by individuals claiming to be Muslim or otherwise, and as such, strongly condemn the horrific and violent criminal act carried out today in Woolwich.
Allah mentions in the Qur’an in Surat Al-Mā’idah, Chapter 5, Verse 32:
“…if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. And indeed, there came to them Our Messengers with clear proofs, evidences, and signs, even then after that many of them continued to exceed the limits (e.g. by doing oppression unjustly and exceeding beyond the limits set by Allah by committing the major sins) in the land!”
As Muslims, it is clear to us that our Lord has forbidden the unjust killing of any individual, and the grave punishments that are implicated for such an act have been commented on at length. There is absolutely no justification for the crimes committed today, nor do we count these individuals to be from our community.
Our beloved Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) was a defender of people, within and outside of the Muslim community, and never transgressed the laws set by our Creator – he left this beautiful example for the whole of humanity to benefit from.
Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance and moderation. Individuals who wish to bring harm to our community and our peaceful city do not represent the true spirit of Islam or Muslims. Our religion is balanced in every aspect of life and it does not condone any form of extremism or in-discrimination.
Croydon ICT continues to strive hard to fight violent extremism, challenging individuals and organisations that preach misguided messages that lead to having extremism in religion. The Muslim community has a collective duty to fight extreme ideologies, and to clarify the correct teachings of Islam, and to this we remain committed.
We hope that the actions of a tiny minority will not undermine the cohesion in our communities.
TAKE CARE AND BE ALERT
We are also advising all members within our immediate community to take extra care and caution. Such acts of violence by individuals claiming to be Muslim or to be representing Muslims can often be manipulated by elements equally intent on creating disunity, fear and terrorism in order to alienate the Muslim community and ultimately cause Muslims harm.
Therefore, if you feel unsafe or weary in light of today’s events, do not hesitate to contact the Metropolitan Police. We do not wish to create a sense of unnecessary or undue alarm, but we would also ask all attendees of the Masjid to take care when visiting and leaving the Masjid whilst the news of this criminal act will undoubtedly be publicised heavily over the coming days.
There are pockets of hate-driven individuals in every community who may take this opportunity to behave in ways towards Muslims which they may seek to justify as retaliation – we pray this will not be the case, and trust in the protection of Allah alone.
Finally, we are reaching out to all non-Muslim communities, to join us in condemning this act of criminality, but to also condemn associating this act with Muslims or with Islam, and as such to help avert any kind of repercussions towards the Muslim community living in London or elsewhere. Incidents of this sort have already occurred since this news was released and innocent Muslim communities are already suffering as a result.
We ask those in positions of responsibility to condemn acts of hatred against innocent Muslims and Muslim communities with the same vigour that we have condemned today’s events.
If anyone would like to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact us on admin@croydonict.com. For press related queries, please contact us on marketing@croydonict.com.
Abdul Jalil Shaikh – Chairman – Croydon ICT
Wednesday 22nd May 2013
