Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
By KHALID HUSAIN
The writer is a member of the Muslim Writers Guild of America.
The horrifying San Bernardino shootings were carried out by a man shown in photos with a Muslim prayer cap and a woman wearing a traditional hijab. As a Muslim-American teenager belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I completely condemn this and any form of violent extremism, whether by misguided Muslims in the false pretense of jihad, as in the current case, or by an evangelical Christian in the unholy guise of saving babies, as in the Planned Parenthood terror in Colorado.
Just as I would not exclaim that Christianity justifies abortion clinic attacks, I would ask politicians to refrain from making blanket statements that the religion of Islam condones terror or is a threat to America.
On the contrary, the women in my family wear a hijab, and I wear a prayer cap at my mosque. Our faith tells us that it is our religious duty to serve our country, for example, in this holiday season by donating blood and distributing food to the needy (www.muslimsforlife.org).
The aftermath of San Bernardino should strengthen our solidarity against evil acts and our commonness as citizens. We all share the grief of this national tragedy.
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Domestic Terrorism, The Muslim Times