Originally posted in The Oregonian
Power, not religion: As an American Muslim, I read about the atrocities committed by ISIS and my heart is filled with grief and anguish. To think that someone could commit such heinous crimes against humanity is beyond comprehension to me.
As an Ahmadi Muslim, I have been taught that Islam condemns the taking of an innocent life. In fact, the Quran teaches that the taking of even one innocent life is equivalent to the killing of all mankind. Islam recognizes the freedom of conscience of every human – the right for them to decide what they believe in or don’t believe in.
It is clear from what Islam truly teaches that the men who commit these vicious crimes are not motivated by religion. Rather, they are motivated by economic and political gains. I believe, in order to stop ISIS, we must look to their sources of funding and start from there.
