Originally published in Canton Rep on April 30th, 2019
What happened Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka was nothing short of horrific. As an Ahmadi Muslim, I strongly condemn the attacks perpetrated against peaceful worshipers whose only crime was celebrating a momentous occasion of their faith. My deepest prayers are with the victims and families of all those affected.
In Islam, killing any innocent human is the antithesis of what the religion teaches. In fact, the Qur’an itself emphatically condemns attacking worshipers in 2:115: “And who is more unjust than he who prohibits the name of Allah being glorified in Allah’s temples and seeks to ruin them? It was not proper for such men to enter therein except in fear. For them is disgrace in this world; and theirs shall be a great punishment in the next.”
I urge Muslims to reach out to their Christian brothers and show them that those “Muslims” do not represent us, and at the same time I ask Christians to refrain from blaming all Sri Lankan Muslims. At the end of the day, we are all hurt to see this happen.
I pray that the group behind this attack is swiftly brought to justice and that, one day, we can coexist in a world where we all protect each other.
