I condemn, without reservation, terrorism and murder. Terrorists choose violence rather than the ballot box to inflict death and pain on innocent civilians. They justify their action by flying the banner of religion, race or political sovereignty.
Islam is a way of life for more than one billion people in this world. Millions of these Muslims from Indonesia to Nigeria, from Central Asia to the leafy suburbs of California, knew nothing about Osama Bin Laden before September 11.
For these millions of people, and for Islam, there is no place for terrorism or violence.
Terrorists have no authority or consent to act on behalf of any people of whatever race or religion. Therefore, we must fight terrorism and target terrorists – not innocent civilians who wish to live in peace irrespective of their race and religion.
Human life is precious and the death of innocent civilians – wherever it occurs – is simply not acceptable!
Reason without passion is sterile. Passion without reason is heat! Therefore, let us be firm and decisive and target terrorism.
Let us remove the causes that conceive, feed and sustain terrorism! – Bashir Khanbhai, Member of the European Parliament for the Eastern Region
Fighting and warfare in Islam is allowed in extreme and very exceptional circumstances. All avenues of discussion, negotiation and communication must be exhausted before the route of warfare is embarked upon.
Killing defenceless people and destroying property at random may be the hallmark of extreme frustration, or the sign of a very hard heart, but it has nothing to do with the teachings of Islam.
Suicide is also against the teachings of Islam.
Islam places great emphasis on the rules of conduct in any war. Drinking, swearing and pornography are all forbidden in Islam.
Yet on September 11, 19 dedicated death seekers (who apparently drank, swore and watched pornography) extinguished thousands of lives. The world branded them Islamic fundamentalists, yet their every action was fundamentally unislamic.
Are these perpetrators, with the help of the media, hiding behind a veil of Islam?
With only ash and rubble for evidence, we may never know.
It is often said that in war, truth is the first casualty. – Dr FA Moolla, Durban