Source: courierpostonline.com

Mahnoor Waseem, Member Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Fair Lawn

Sailors take the casket from the hearse before a burial service for Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith on Tuesday at the National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Smith was one of five military personnel who were fatally shot July 16, when a gunman attacked two military facilities.
(Photo: ANGELA LEWIS FOSTER/Chattanooga Times Free Press via Associated Press)

I’d like to offer my sincerest heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the tragic Chattanooga shooting.

As I keep reading news articles about the horrific occurrence, I have noticed that the attacker is described to be a devout Muslim. As an American Muslim, I strongly condemn his actions because they were entirely un-Islamic. They violate the teachings of Islam, which give great regard to the sanctity of human life; the Quran clearly states, “the killing of one … is like the killing of all mankind” (5:33).

The actions of the perpetrator are not representative of Islam. There is nothing in the teachings of Islam that can justify his vile actions.

This clarification is imperative and the distinction needs to be made.

There are more than 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. The extremists are microscopic in number, and we cannot let their hate-filled voices overpower the pure message of peace that is Islam.