Thursday, July 07, 2005

Hoping the London Central Mosque will speak out

Much will be made of this attack and certainly the political fall-out may last for months, but I know that it is important that respected members of the Muslim community make themselves heard early and often. Therefore I have drafted and sent the following message to the London Central Mosque.


Dear Sir or Madam,

In light of today's horrific attacks on London by a group claiming to be Muslim and associated with Al-Qaeda, will the London Central Mosque be putting out a statement in English and Arabic denouncing the attacks?

I teach at an international school and I have to admit that I am not completely familiar with all Islamic teachings, but I do know that many of my Muslim students don't want to be tarred with the same brush that this group will be hit with. While Bush and Blair can, should and will denounce these attacks, a strong denounciation coming from within the Islamic community helps to draw a clear line between extreme wackos and the vast majority of Muslims that live in and love the U.K.

Please make your strong and respected voice heard.

Sincerely,


If you'd like to contact them -BE RESPECTFUL AND CONSIDERATE!- you can reach them here.

Update: While not the London Central Mosque specifically, two major Islamic organizations here have condemed the attacks in both English and Arabic. One spokesmen doing so on Al-Jazeera and the other in an ecumenical gathering with Christians, Jews, Sihks and Hindus. The statement from the Muslim Council of Britain says, "The Muslim Council of Britain utterly condemns today's indiscriminate acts of terror in London. These evil deeds makes victims of us all. It is our humanity that must bring us shoulder to shoulder to condemn, to oppose and to overcome those who would spread fear, hatred and death."

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