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"We hope this effort will demonstrate that Muslims…reject violence committed in the name of Islam," said Ahmad
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WASHINGTON,
May 15 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - In an attempt to
counter rising Islamophobia, a prominent U.S. Muslim civil rights
group launched an online petition to disassociate Islam from violent
acts carried out its name by few Muslims.
The
"Not
in the Name of Islam " petition, posted on the website of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), allows Muslims
around the world to help clear misperceptions about Islam and its
position on terrorism, said a CAIR press release e-mailed to
IslamOnline.net.
"We
hope this effort will demonstrate once and for all that Muslims in
America and throughout the Islamic world reject violence committed in
the name of Islam," said the civil rights group Board Chairman
Omar Ahmad.
"People
of all faiths must do whatever they can to help end the downward
spiral of mutual hostility and hatred that is engulfing our
world."
The
petition, first launched on May 13, maintains that those who commit
acts of violence in the name of Islam "are not only destroying
innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the faith they
claim to represent."
"We
repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or individual
who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts," it reads.
The
petition underlines that just as America should not be judged by its
"often misguided foreign policy," neither should Islam
"be held accountable for the un-Islamic and barbaric deeds of a
minuscule minority."
The
advocacy group said 300,000 people have signed the petition in the
first few hours, reported the BBC News Online.
Condemnation
The
petition followed the release of a video showing an American civilian,
Nicholas Berg, beheaded by a group of unknown people in Iraq.
The
executioners claimed their action came in revenge for the
abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops.
The
horrific incident sent shockwaves worldwide and was condemned
by several Muslim scholars who said that Islam stands against such
acts.
CAIR
also condemned the beheading saying ordinary Muslims should not be
blamed for such un-Islamic and barbaric deeds.
"We
condemn this cold-blooded murder and repudiate all those who commit
such acts of mindless violence in the name of religion. We call on
people of all faiths and cultures to work together for peace and
reconciliation, not war and destruction," a statement by the
Washington-based Islamic civil rights said.
A
CAIR commentary entitled "Judge
Us Not by Un-Islamic Acts of Few," was published on May 13 in
a number of newspapers nationwide to reinforce the point that Islam
should not be associated with terrorism.
In
an interview with the correspondent of the Doha-based broadcaster,
Aljazeera, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said a sister petition
will be launched later this week entitled "Not in the name of
America."
