Another round of merciless bullets wreaking inevitable slaughter. Another round of ritualistic wringing of the hands by impotent politicians. Another round of inestimable suffering in the families so barbarically brutalized. Another round of expressions of grief, condolences and outrage from a society so numbed by this vortex of accelerating mayhem. Whether such a barbarous act is referred to as a ‘mass killing’ or one of ‘homegrown terrorism’, it provides no solace to the families of the victims subjected to their immeasurable loss. As Americans who happen to be Muslim, we share with our fellow citizens, every ounce of sorrow, every moment of compassion and every sense of moral outrage at these acts of senseless terrorism that devastate our society and disorientate our moral compass.
Muslims across the New England region stand in solidarity with the families of the innocent victims and our nation during these hours of insufferable pain. We offer our whole-hearted prayers and condolences to those whose kin were sacrificial lambs at the altar of political expediency.
Such carnage regardless of the instigating cause, be it a psychopathic personality, a nationalistic racial or religious aberration, or the ready availability of guns, provides no justification for the heinous crimes, such as the one witnessed on 2/15/17 in Parkland Florida. But as has been repeated and nauseam, ‘thoughts and prayers’ are just not enough. Not now. Not in the future. Not when the security of our loved ones and our nation are at stake. The time for radical action is now: now that we have identified the triple threats: confront the evil of fanaticism be it nationalistic, racial or religious; seek out and treat those suffering from mental derangement, and demand that the rule of law and societal common sense disarm those empowered and armed with weapons of mass destruction to terrorize innocents young and old. A nation achieved the best-advanced sciences and arts is expected to enact the best laws to fix the gun control crises.
Abdul Cader Asmal (Chairman of Communications)
Yusuf Abdul Hakim (President)
Bader E. Hussaini (Executive Director)