Interfaith

Sunni kills Shia Albuquerque: On August 9 2022, CAIR, Center for American Islamic Relations, held a news conference in response to the arrest of a Muslim Afghan refugee for the murder of 4 Shia Muslims in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This conference was used as an opportunity to tell America that Sunnis accept the right of Shia to practice their distinct version of Islam and that messages of hate and violence will not be tolerated.

“A life that is not innocent can be taken.” Do Muslim Leaders consider Shia Innocent?

Important note: CAIR is a leading voice of the North American Muslim community. However, it is not the only leading voice. We are reminded that the religion of Islam is not a monolith. Within Islam there is diversity, tolerance and acceptance of certain differing opinions regarding accepting Shia as Muslims and ceasing hatred and violence toward them. Below is a transcript of the news conference attended by several leading Muslim advocacy groups. We will also learn from senior leading voices and sacred texts, which will add a more complete nuanced and contextualized understanding that will bring us closer to appreciating the true Islam as practiced by mainstream Muslims.

Nihad Awad – CAIR – Exec. Director

I would like to thank the leaders from the Sunni and the Shia traditions for coming here in a sense of unity. To issue a statement of solidarity, a statement of unity based on the events we have witnessed in the last few days. So, allow me first to express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims. The four victims who have been killed senselessly since last year and three of them were killed just in the past few days. There is no justification for these brutal crimes that have terrified us. And the final note we have seen reports and we will see some speculation about the motives of the perpetrator of these crimes. There is no justification for this evil. There is no justification to take an innocent life in our faith.

A life that is not innocent can be taken. Do Muslim Leaders consider Shia Innocent?

The taking of an innocent life is equivalent to the taking of the life of the entire humanity and that’s what this perpetrator did. There is no way to explain, justify this deranged behavior. And we as a community regardless of our background we are united against hate and violence against innocent people. Lives taken brutally – the way they were and regardless of the identity of the perpetrator or the victims, we are all united by our faith which reminds us every day, that truly the believers are one brotherhood. I  challenge myself, all of us, to keep that in mind, that our community is solid, our community is strong, our community is united, and our community will continue to show responsible leadership and love to one another. Thank you.

Islam Q & A emanates from Saudi Aribia and is a most referenced site on all issues Islamic. The answers are supervised by Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid

Question:

Are Muslim women permitted to marry Shia?

Answer:

Shia are mushrikeen (idol worshipers) who are guilty of major shirk, which puts them beyond the pale of Islam. It is not permissible for Muslim women to marry them, and it is not permissible for us to marry their women, or to eat meat slaughtered by them. Complete question & answer

Shaykh Philips speaking at a conference clearly explains that Shia are not Muslim. LINK

Brother Abed Ayoub, Arab American anti-discrimination committee

As brother Nihad said, this is a very unfortunate set of circumstances. We are coming together. I really didn’t prepare a speech or I didn’t prepare words to say because it’s difficult to do so. The community is facing our challenge and this is something that is definitely one of the darker moments we’ve had in recent years. But any attempt to divide the community, any attempt to cause friction in the community will fail and my personal belief is the community is going to come out of this much stronger. I think we all have a duty and obligation to stress unity,

When CAIR advocates Unity does this Include Christian, Jew and Homosexual?

We are one body, we are one community and again any attempt to do so – any attempts to cause a wedge or divide and to spread hate will not be tolerated and will not succeed. I can assure you that all of us up here are committed to standing up against hate and against bigotry regardless of who it’s impacting and regardless of belief.

Does brother Abed Ayoub endorse the statements of Imam Younus Kathrada of Vancouver and Imam Karim abuZaid of Colorado who say that hating Jews and Christians is mandated in the Quran? See the following links: Hating Jews is Mandated by Islam – “Jew behind come kill Him” – kill Jew Understanding – Jews & Christians in Muslim Lands? or when Shaykh Hakim Quick , Ameenah Bilal Philips and the leaders of CCI, Canadian Council of Imams tell us death is what Islam prescribes for homosexuals? Method to Kill Homosexuals – LGBTQ Islamic Perspective.

We learn from the above that those leaders that seemingly preach hate and violence are also influential in guiding the Muslim community. Will their voices be included and tolerated?

Family Member

We dearly loved his generosity, his kindness and his ability to bring Shia and Sunni. – I actually had multiple different conversations with him and he was very indifferent to the whole Shia Sunni divide. His saying was we are all Brothers.

Many people can say many things. The issue is what do those that lead the Muslim community say? Shaikh Ameenah Bilal Philips and Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid have given the answer. Shias are not Muslims. Shia are idol worshipers. According to Islamic doctrine as interpreted by the Ulamah, mushrikoon are to be killed. While this particular Shia Muslim claims that he harbors no ill will toward Sunni Muslims, the fact remains that Sunni Muslim have immense ill will toward Shia. One could say, based on what the Muslim leaders teach, that hating and killing others, including Shia, is a pillar of Islam.

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, CAIR national board member

In this moment of loss we are reminded by the Quran that life is sacred, that all life is sacred. The Old Testament tells us that, as does the Quran invites us back – to take the life of one person unjustly would be as if you had slain all of humanity. And so, as people of faith, we stand together to send a simple, clear and undisputable reference, and that is that violence and hate knows no religion and that we must as a community redouble our efforts to come together, to stay together, to establish what is good and prohibit what is evil. Know that CAIR remains committed to work for freedom, religious freedom in America [as defined by Islamic law], justice and better understanding.

UNJUSTLY: We learn that there are times when, according to Islamic doctrine and Muslim leaders, it is just to execute people: Stoning Pregnant Women To Death – LGBTQ+ Perverts Deserve Death – Leaving Islam Death – Imam Shabir Ally explains death penalty for “criticizing” Islam.

So today we ask for God’s mercy and peace on this community, especially in Albuquerque, suffering from the trauma of this event, and to know that in this nation we are a nation under God. We will be indivisible. We can stand together. With CAIR’s leadership around the country, we will stand to support law enforcement as they do the work to identify the individuals who are trying to resist the freedom of expression of faith in our country. To that I ask you to say, Amen.

Is this freedom when an Imam at a Muslim conference in 2016 said “Islam is not here to Integrate BUT to Dominate” ?- or Thoughts that are Islamicly Permitted.

Cairo Declaration on Human Rights.

ARTICLE 2: (a) …right to life is guaranteed… it is prohibited to take away life except for a shari’ah prescribed reason.

ARTICLE 12: Every man shall have the right, within the framework of the Shari’ah, to…

ARTICLE 17: (a) Everyone shall have the right to live in a clean environment, away from vice and moral corruption…

ARTICLE 22: (a) Everyone shall have the right to express his opinion freely in such manner as would not be contrary to the principles of the Shari’ah.

ARTICLE 24: All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari’ah

Some point out, as we can deduce from the above, that conflict arises when Western values conflict with Islamic values as defined by Muslim jurisprudence. For further clarity on this potential clash, we turn to the following: France crisis teacher beheaded – Salman Rushdie.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder; cannot the same be said of justice?

Imam Farhan Siddiqi, Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Northern Virginia. 

We would like to thank the law enforcement agents that were involved in the apprehension of this rogue suspect. (go rogue: to begin to behave in an independent or uncontrolled way that is not authorized, normal, or expected)

Sunni leaders label Shia Muslims idol worshipers. Islamic doctrine, as interpreted by the Ulama, mandated they be executed. Sunni kill Shia and Shia kill Sunni in all the Muslim world. How then can this killing be unexpected or rogue? Can we expect that refugees from the Muslim Third World will enrich Western culture with this diversity that was, before Muslim immigration, unknown in the West? The following links tell us they will. Shia  Massacred by Sunni – Amnesty International: Shia Militia Killing Sunni Civilians – Pakistan: 57 dead Sunni attack at Shia market – Shia Forces in Iraq Executing Sunni Boy.

We would like to send our condolences and prayers to the family of those individuals who have passed… Being a representative of one of the most diverse communities probably in the entire nation, it is not strange to work with different brothers and different sisters from different backgrounds and different ethnicities and even different theological schools. Part of our community is the Shia community, and even in this catastrophe, and even in this calamity. If we look around, there is, and there will always be signs of success and part of that success is the fact that we are all standing here together.

There are those who point out that condolences for Muslim jihadist attacks in America would not be necessary if there were no Muslims in America. Such people are shunned, marginalized and canceled.

The fact that we all stand for each other, the fact that every time there is a calamity the true brotherhood is actually shown. And when Allah tells us, when God tells us, we the Muslims are a brotherhood. Part of that brotherhood is understanding and showing empathy when one of ours has fallen. And these rogue actors will never be empowered by us. These rogue actors will forever be condemned by us. These rogue actors will forever be shunned by our communities. I thank God that He (Allah) is the one who has given us this religion, that He is the one that has brought us together and He is the one that will continue to keep us together upon this path. May He protect us, our families. May He (Allah) shower his mercy on those who have passed and give patience to  the family that has lost them. Ameen.

“These rogue actors will forever be shunned by our communities“

People who lean to the right in their politics will ask how shunning Muslim killers, that should not be among us in the first place, actually solves the problem of Muslim killers among us? They point to the fact that every Muslim jihadist killing was perpetrated by a Muslim. Therefore, to stop Muslim jihadist attacks we should have no Muslims in America or the West. These people refer to the following list starting with San Bernardino 14 Killed 22 wounded – LIST

Raha Hussain, Shia Muslim foundation

We really wish that all of our community come together Sunni and Shia. It’s not enough for us to call ourselves Brothers. Brothers implies a little bit of distance. We should call each other ourselves. And that kind of sentiment, that admission, that idea that Sunni and Shia aren’t even separate, we are one community has been echoed by the other respected speakers and it is one that I wish to echo.

Some say that wishing implies acknowledging a sort of fantasy thinking. “I wish upon a star” This is something children do.

We commend CAIR for for their statement earlier today that this is an incident of anti-Shia hatred. It is something that we all have to work to address. Our communities overall, Sunnis and Shias, enjoy a a great modicum of friendship and love amongst each other, especially in the United states. At the same time, it is important for us to address issues of radicalization or anti-Shia hatred or other types of statements or remarks that are made by others and really attack them. These statements, these ideas, have no place in our community. 

“Sunnis and Shias enjoy a a modicum of friendship. …especially in the United states” People on the right will say that it is because of the constraints of the law and likely consequence of jail. In areas where Muslim demographics are higher or the state has less control, the Shia/Sunni 1400-year blood feud is unleashed. What is the cost to the non-Muslim population? Some compare it to grown men fighting in your living room. It is now your problem and your furniture and house are destroyed. Sunni vs Shia in Mexico, Europe and Latin America – SUNNI/SHIA ARMED GANGS IN COPENHAGEN. Those considered Right Wing have publicly stated they prefer this aspect of cultural diversity be kept out of North America. Could making such statements be considered Islamophobia?

Mustafa Aquan, Shia Rights Watch

People are your brother and sister in faith or equal in humanity. Right now in this moment we have to put aside our emotion and work together to bring the peace in our society. We are living in the country with a multi-religion, multiculture. And every one of us showing peace and love together. And let’s keep that peace and love and work together to be able to have a better society.

Nihad Awad – CAIR – Exec. Director

Thank you for your words of inspiration, words of wisdom, words of solidarity and words of comfort. Let me just say that this news conference was put together on a very short notice. We invited several community leaders to come, but because of the distance many of them could not come. I trust that all the words that have been said here are reflected of their [Muslim leaders not in attendance] feelings and their positions. As we said, God willing, we will see them in a more and happier occasion to get together. We ask Allah to strengthen our community.

Conclusion with Confusion

It is plainly obvious that Islam on many levels is opposed to Western values. This is made clear by Muslim leaders and Islamic doctrine. It is also clear that Sunni Muslims are enjoined to, establish what is good and prohibit what is evil. Imam Johari Abdul-Malik. But what exactly does this mean? Could it mean that if a Muslim sees wine bottles on the tables in a restaurants in Montreal or Seattle, he should smash then? Should a Muslim smash Musical instruments because Prophet Mohamad forbade them? Should Muslims, when they have the numerical and or political power, smash the Christian cross? Yes! Muslims Smash Musical Instruments – Church Bells are Satanic -“Prophet Obliterated the Cross”

Many Westerners who are more accepting of diversity and cultural enrichment state that Muslims that do bad things are extremists who are misunderstanding. The following by Shaykh Yasir Qadi: – Fanaticism and Righteousness can be the Same – will contextualize a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. Sunni kills Shia Albuquerque