The barbaric attack against innocent civilian lives in Manchester is worthy of condemnation.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Monday, May 22, thousands of excited children and their parents were just leaving the Manchester Arena, having spent the last few hours at the concert. They were just out with their loved ones having a good time. It was at that moment lives changed forever. A blast in the walkway between Manchester Arena and Victoria Station went off claiming the lives of 22, and injuring countless others. As Ahmadi Muslims, we extend our condolences to the British people and stand with them in mourning their loss.
While some may claim that the perpetrators have acted in the name of Islam, nothing could be farther from reality. The irony is all the more apparent as the holy and peaceful month of Ramadan is less than a week away. Instead of preparing for this month of spiritual elevation by focusing on good deeds and prayers, terror groups such as ISIS continue to disgrace themselves and Islam.
The Holy Quran states, “Whosoever killed a person … It shall be as if he killed all mankind (5:33).
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) counted the “killing of a soul” among the four “major sins” (Nasai).
The Khalifah of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, stated, “… those who seek to justify their hateful acts in the name of Islam are serving only to defame it in the worst possible way.”
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association USA (AMYA USA) challenges radicalization and extremists’ claim on Islam by showing through words and deed the true essence of Islam. The Muslim Writers Guild of America, an auxiliary of AMYA USA, published nearly 400 pieces in U.S. newsprint media in 2016 presenting the true teachings of Islam. In that same time span, AMYA USA has fed upwards of 170,000 people and collected 5,000 units of blood in service of our fellow Americans.
Zahid Yousaf
Centreville