Originally published on the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
I was extremely saddened and hurt when I found out about the attacks in Paris and Beirut, which resulted in the loss of more than 170 lives. The perpetrators did this under the guise of Islam and by loudly proclaiming “Allaho Akbar,” which literally means God is the greatest. But their actions were brutal, inhumane and of a very low standard.
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these attacks and their families. As an imam, I condemn these barbaric attacks and hope that extremist groups like the Islamic State group are brought to justice and we see their end once and for all.
The prophet of Islam counted the killing of a soul among the four major sins in the sight of God and further added that a true Muslim is the one from whose hands and tongue others are protected. These two sayings of the holy founder of Islam prove beyond a shadow of doubt that the Islamic State group has nothing to do with Islam.
If someone wants to see the true face of Islam then they should look at the efforts of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association USA, which challenges radicalization, has fed more than 170,000 people and has collected more than 5,000 pints of blood this year in service of our fellow Americans. I take pride in being a member of this brand of Islam.
ADNAN AHMED
Imam
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Pittsburgh
Wilkinsburg
