29.04.2019
‘Extremism and Terrorism are Enemies of all Humanity’ – Imam Expresses Solidarity with Christians in Christ Church, Dublin
Religious communities must stand united in solidarity and show extremists that they will never succeed in dividing them. So said Shaykh Dr Umar Al–Qadri, Chair of the Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Council and Chief Imam of the Islamic Centre of Ireland in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, yesterday (Sunday April 28).
Dr Al–Qadri addressed the congregation before the Cathedral Eucharist, exactly one week to the day since the Easter Day terror attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka which killed 250 people. He expressed solidarity with Christians in Ireland and worldwide. His address in the cathedral echoed a similar visit by Archbishop Michael Jackson to the Islamic Centre of Ireland last month when he addressed members of the Muslim community after Friday Prayers one week after the terror attacks at Mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand.
Dr Al–Qadri said that, as Muslims, they strongly condemned the cowardly attacks against peaceful worshippers and stood in solidarity with the victims of these attacks and their Christian brothers and sisters everywhere.
“An attack on any place of worship is an attack on all places of worship. An attack on any faith community is an attack on all faith communities,” he stated. “These attacks were not only attacks on Christians but these attacks were attacks on all of us.”
He recalled the terrorist attacks on Mosques in New Zealand on March 15 which saw 50 people killed and spoke of the attack at a Californian Synagogue during the celebration of Passover on Saturday (April 27) in which one worshiper was killed. This came six months after an attack on a Synagogue in Pittsburgh in which 11 people were killed.
“The terrorists behind the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka claimed to have acted in the name of Islam. How dare they claim to have acted in the name of Islam. These terrorists trampled upon the fundamental teachings of Islam. These terrorists are guilty of committing the biggest blasphemy,” Dr Al–Qadri said.
He continued: “The monsters behind the attacks on innocent human beings are not real Muslims. They do not represent Islam. In fact these monsters do not represent any faith or any community. They only represent extremism and terrorism. The same applies to those extremists that kill worshippers in the Mosque and in the Synagogue. They do not represent any faith nor any community. They only represent extremism and terrorism. These two evils are enemies of all humanity. Those behind the attacks are enemies of humanity.”
“We must stand united in solidarity and show that these extremists will never succeed in dividing us. We must also remember that the true essence of all religions is based on our common human values of dialogue, mercy and peace,” he stated.
Dr Al–Qadri said that the Muslims of Sri Lanka had responded to the attacks with a message to extremists who aimed to divide the faithful communities saying: ‘If you attack their Churches we will open our Mosques for them to pray’.
He added: “And this is my message also. To the terrorists that aim to divide us and spread hatred amongst our communities. Your evil efforts will only bring our faith communities together and the message of Peace and Unity will prevail.”