Isle Muslims decry "No cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts," said Hakim Ouansafi, president and chairman of the Muslim Association of Hawaii.
‘un-Islamic’ act
Yesterday's tragedy underscores a
need to stress true tenets
of Islam, believers sayBy Mary Adamski
madamski@starbulletin.comThe terrorists responsible for yesterday's atrocities were not immediately identified but speculation centered on fanatical Islamic groups. It was, in fact, "a very un-Islamic act," said Saleem Ahmed.
Ouansafi, a Honolulu hotel executive, said: "I believe Americans are smart enough to differentiate between the act of a person and the 2 billion-plus Muslims that exist on the planet just as they are able to differentiate between Timothy McVeigh, who happened to be Christian, and the peaceful religion of Christianity."
He said the Islamic Center in Manoa, which received several threatening calls after the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building for which McVeigh was eventually convicted, had received only one anonymous call yesterday.
"That tells us that we all learned a lesson from that horrific act that McVeigh did. People are showing restraint, which is welcome news to all of us here," Ouansafi said. "Thank God the American people recognize that this indiscriminate act affects Muslims, Christians, Jews, all ethnic backgrounds alike."
He said he had spoken with local officials out of concern for the safety of the 3,000-plus Muslims in Hawaii.
Ahmed, businessman and former East West Center official, said people misunderstand the concept of "jihad," which radical Muslim groups may claim as justification for killing.
"Jihad actually means peaceful striving for righteousness ... feeding the poor, tending to the sick, protecting the weak. The Koran, the Muslim holy book, lists scores of righteous activities that would be termed jihad. God promises those who engage in such righteous acts will be rewarded in the hereafter," Ahmed said.
"However, when an enemy by armed aggression prevents Muslims from engaging in such peaceful righteous activities and prevents them from worshipping one God, the Koran permits fighting back in self-defense. Those who die in such a struggle will also be rewarded.
"Even in such a jihad, however, God does not condone killing innocent people," Ahmed said.
Like many around the country, Ouansafi had a personal concern. He had not heard from his brother, who works in Manhattan near the World Trade Center. "Quite a few members who have families there haven't heard because the phones are blocked."
Ouansafi said that several local Muslims are fasting as a facet of their prayer for the victims. Prayer for the victims will be a part of the 1 p.m. Friday service at the Manoa mosque. "When any human being gets hurt, you can do nothing but pray for all the families and for actual victims. That's all we can do."
The local association put out a statement calling for its members to donate blood and contribute to relief efforts.
"We further call on media professionals to exercise restraint and not draw any premature conclusions as to who was responsible for the apparent attack," the statement said.
"Anyone that will think a true Muslim would do this, is making an insult to all religions," said Ouansafi. "Islam is a continuation of all the morals of all the religions. It is a religion of the prophet Abraham and all the prophets, which means submission to God. Islam means peace.
"We the Muslims in Hawaii condemn in the strongest possible terms what are apparently vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians," he said in the release. "We offer our condolences and prayers to the victims and their families for this horrific tragedy. We join with all Americans in calling for swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators."
Abdul-Rashid Abdullah, a local businessman, said he had instructed his wife, identifiable as Muslim because she wears head covering, not to go out in public out of concern that she would receive harassment or threats.
