Although many Americans and extremists like Pamela Geller have demanded that Muslims apologize for the violence and murder of U.S. Muslims in Chattanooga, they must not be well read. Nearly every major Muslim organization in America has denounced the killings from groups in Chattanooga to Muslim and Arab organizations around the country
By Ray Hanania
Many Americans have asserted that they have not heard Muslims and Arabs denounce the violence by individuals who claim to be Muslim or representing Islam.
But the truth is that nearly every major Muslim and Arab organization has issued a condemnation of the violence by Kuwaiti Muslim from Jordan, Mohammed Youssuf Abdulazeez.
Many see this kind of violence as an “opportunity” to score political points, to rally their followers using fear mongering and emotions and anger to strengthen their voice for their often racist and hate-driven agendas.
Not one major Muslim or Arab group has praised the killings of the four U.S. Marines, in part because these organizations consist of Americans who happen to be Muslim and many Arab. Additionally, many Arabs and Muslims have served with honor and distinction in the U.S. Military,a s I have done, and the idea of targeting uniformed soldiers engaged in training or recruiting and not on a battlefield is abhorrent.
A major part of the problem is that the mainstream news media, especially the conservative rightwing media, like FOX News, ignores the protests and expressions of Muslims and Arabs, and twist statements to distort the intent of these groups. And so-called “liberal” media in fact ignore the Arab voices because of their inherent bias towards protecting Israel and demonizing any Arab group that criticizes Israel.
The atrocities committed by Abdulazeez play into their hands.
Here are some of the statements that have been released and continue to be released, that anyone could find if they just looked:
USCMO condemns killings in Chattanooga, offers condolences to victims’ families
(Washington, D.C., 7/17/2015) – The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), a coalition of leading national and local Muslim organizations, strongly condemns the tragic shootings in Chattanooga, Tennessee yesterday which left four Marines dead in an attack on a military recruiting center and another US military site. USCMO offers its sincere condolences to the victims’ families and urges law enforcement to fully investigate these crimes.
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned a deadly attack inTennessee that left four Marines dead. In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“We condemn this horrific attack in the strongest terms possible. Such inexcusable acts of violence must be repudiated by Americans of all faiths and backgrounds. The American Muslim community stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow citizens in offering condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured and in rejecting anyone who would harm our nation’s safety and security. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this tragedy.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Statement from the Memphis Islamic Center:
“On behalf of Memphis Islamic Center’s leadership and the Muslim community, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific murders in Chattanooga and any acts of violence targeting innocent lives. We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and mayhem resulting from this deadly attack. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go to the victims’ families.
“We again confirm our unequivocal rejection to any type of ideology that can lead to such inexcusable and dreadful act. We remind ourselves and our fellow citizens that the ugly face of terrorism and fanaticism has no religion and represents no one with any human decency or morality. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow American citizens in solidarity and in offering all we can to stand against this deviant and destructive wave of terror.
“Our heartfelt prayers and thoughts go to the victims and their families during this testing and difficult time for our entire nation.”
Click here and you can listen to the podcast of the radio show this morning with callers in Detroit denouncing the killings.
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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