13th September 2001
The Holy Qur’an equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of the whole of humanity.
We, the Muslims of Britain, wish to offer our deepest sympathies to the families of those who have been killed or injured following the atrocities committed in the United States.
We utterly condemn these indiscriminate terrorist attacks against innocent lives. The perpetrators of these atrocities, regardless of their religious, ideological or political beliefs, stand outside the pale of civilised values.
Terror effects us all. Terror of this enormity must not be compounded by knee-jerk reactions that would make victims of other innocent people. We would remind the government and the media that the consequences of unsubstantiated speculation in the past, such as the case of the Oklahoma bombing, produced a climate of fear among Muslims that should not be repeated.
There exists a heightened sense of insecurity amongst Muslims in Britain though we warmly welcome our Prime Minister’s comments yesterday when he emphasised that Muslims in this country clearly condemn this atrocity. The Prime Minister warned against speculation that can endanger the lives of the entire community.
Our thoughts and heartfelt concerns are with all those affected at this mournful moment.