From Left to Right: Shaykh Hassan Rabbani, Shaykh Rehan Raza, Pauline McNeill, Ahmed Khweir, Dr Javed Gill
I would like to start with a minute silence for all victims of terror.
Dear Ladies & Gentlemen,
The tragic events in Kuwait, France and Tunisia have brought great sadness to our community as a whole. Once again a religion, which for thousands of Muslims in Scotland is a source of peace, comfort and inspiration has been used as an excuse to create terror. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who Muslims identify as the Prophet of mercy, is now being falsely portrayed by these savages as a Prophet of terror who propagated a religion of terror. Let me reassure you that we Muslims of Scotland denounce these terrible attacks, and send our deepest heartfelt condolences to those affected by these attacks, in particular the Scottish families whose loved ones were brutally murdered in Tunisia.
These terrorists have no religion and no faith. Both Muslims and non-Muslims have fallen victim to their terror. They have beheaded and killed thousands of Muslims for objecting to their policies, and have executed many Sunni Muslim clerics for refusing to swear allegiance to them. They treat all their targets as one, and do not consider anyone worthy of living except those who accept their extreme ideology. In the view of ISIS, among the 2 billion Muslims in the world, only a small number of ISIS members are actually Muslims, and the rest are non-Muslims.
What can we do in these troubling times? In such times I believe we as a peaceful Scottish community can come together and build even stronger relations to tackle the ISIS hate. These terrorists want our communities to break down. They want hatred and animosity to breed in each and every community, and our reply to ISIS is NO. We won’t let this happen. Edmund Burke, the famous Irish philosopher said “Evil prevails when good people fail to act.” It is the responsibility of everyone and in particular of Muslim academics, scholars, religious and political leaders to speak out and condemn these barbaric acts.
In October 2014, our Prime Minister, David Cameron, declared those British who travelled to join ISIS as being ‘an enemy of the state’. I’d like to add that not only are they an enemy to our state, they are also an enemy of Islam. My advice to young Muslims, if you find yourself becoming convinced by the ISIS rhetoric, know that your faith is seriously at risk and you must seek relevant help.
You do not have to be well-versed in Islam or be an Islamic scholar to know that the actions of these groups are contradictory and completely contrary to the very nature of Islam. Islam teaches the middle way, the way of moderation. We are taught to be moderate in our worship, social conduct, consumption of food and drink, and even in our personal expenditure. Extremism of any form has no place in this religion. Our religion is based on moderation, compassion and mercy.
Our Prophet Muhammad, when asked what the best form of Islam is, he replied “The Islam of that individual is best from whose tongue and hands all People, Muslim and non-Muslim are safe.
The community in Scotland have a long tradition of peace and love. We will not let anyone harm this, especially these barbaric ISIS terrorists.
Youtube Link to the Press Release:
Press Coverage:
Interview with local media
Ruz-e-Alast 