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Muslim reaction to Paris: “There is nothing Islamic about such people and their actions are evil”

France Honours Attack Victims As The Nation Mourns

PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 15: The public lay flowers outside of the La Belle Equipe restaraunt on Rue de Charonne following Fridays terrorist attack on November 15, 2015 in Paris, France. As France observes three days of national mourning members of the public continue to pay tribute to the victims of Friday's deadly attacks. A special service for the families of the victims and survivors is to be held at Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral later on Sunday. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Deacon Greg Kandra - published on 11/15/15

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A round up of early reaction—and condemnation:

From Tariq Ramadan at Oxford: Absolute and immediate condemnation. They shouted, we are told “Allahu akbar” (God [is] the greatest) to support and justify their inhuman actions. With this they told a lie and a truth. Their lie is related to Islam and its message as not even one of its teachings, ever, can justify their actions. Imran Khan, on Twitter: Saddened by terrorist attacks in Beirut, Lebanon & Paris, France. Strongly condemn these acts of terror. Dr. Yasir Qadhi on Facebook: As the situation exacerbates, inevitably the rising anger from such attacks will circle back. Violence only begets violence. Putting aside the very dubious Shar’i justifications proposed by radical groups to justify the retaliatory killings of civilians (again, this is supposing that the current attack has taken place at the hands of religious radicals), the Sharia ALSO takes into account the tangible harms that will come out of an action. Even if these groups believed such random killings to be justified (a belief that I do not share), they would also have to look at the consequences of their actions and THEN judge permissibility. This principle, known as ‘weighing the harm’, is why our Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) refused to order the execution of the worst hypocrite in Madinah, Abdullah b. Ubay b. Salul. Not that his life was sacred – far from it! – but rather that our Prophet (SAW) fully understood that the negative repercussions and damage that the Muslims would suffer as a result of his execution far outweighed the good that might possibly come out of it. So what possible good will come of these senseless attacks?

There are additional Muslin condemnations here

Yesterday, USA Today had more reaction:

Muslims worldwide on Saturday strongly condemned the terrorist attacks by the Islamic State that killed at least 127 people in Paris. Shuja Shafi, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella body that represents more than 500 organizations including mosques, schools and charities, described the killings as “horrific and abhorrent.” “My thoughts and prayers for the families of those killed and injured and for the people of France, our neighbours,” he said in a statement. “This attack is being claimed by the group calling themselves ‘Islamic State’. There is nothing Islamic about such people and their actions are evil, and outside the boundaries set by our faith.” …Fateh Kimouche, 38, founder of the prominent French Muslim blog Al Kanz, said it was important for the whole country to put up a “united front against terrorists.” But he also expressed concern about a backlash against Muslims following this “atrocious act.” Kimouche said that “Muslims suffer a double punishment: massively victims in the Middle East and around the world,” as well as being the targets of Islamophobia. “The Muslim community is in mourning like the rest of the French, but also in the anxiety of retaliation,” he said. Yahya Adel Ibrahim, an Islamic teacher and imam in Perth, Australia, said in a Facebook post: “This criminal barbarity is Godlessness. Terrorism has no faith & cannot be condoned by any means, rationale or ideology. We must commit to each other to defeat it. Godless cowards attack unarmed, randomly selected, innocent people. Terrorists are Sinful, immoral, barbaric criminals. My thoughts & prayers are with the innocent victims, their families and communities.”

Last year, when ISIS first began its assault on Iraq, Muslim leaders also condemned the group and its tactics.In September 2014, Muslims issued a fetwah, or legal decision, regarding ISIS, signed by over 100 Sunni leaders from around the world. You can read details here.

The conclusion, from my colleague, Muslim scholar the Rev. Elias D. Mallon:

Each of the points is derived from careful deduction according to the principles of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). While this may make the document difficult for the non-Muslim or the non-scholar to read, it is precisely what makes the document so magisterial and very important. It is a clear statement in the most Islamic terms possible that the Islamic State (variously IS, ISIS, ISIL) is neither a valid reinstatement of the Caliphate nor Islamic in any sense of the word.

Photo: Getty Images

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