ISNA Condemns Terrorist Attacks Against Pakistani Christians and Innocent Civilians in Kenya

September 24, 2013, The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is outraged by this past weekend’s terrorist attacks and brutal killing of Christian worshipers in Pakistan and innocent civilians in Kenya. We are very saddened by these horrible deaths, and the destruction of a house of worship. We hope that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes will be brought to justice. In Pakistan, reports indicate that more than 75 Christians were killed by suicide bombers as they were exiting the church in the northwestern province of Pakistan. In Kenya, members of the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabab took over a mall this past weekend, and killed over 70 innocent people as reported in the media. ISNA condemns all these terrorist attacks in strongest possible terms and calls upon the international community to exert extra efforts to end such senseless violence. ISNA calls upon the Pakistani government to take every measure necessary to secure the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan, as well as their safety and the security of their places of worship.  We also ask Islamic scholars in Pakistan to demonstrate their sympathy and solidarity with the members of the Christian community and to stand up for the rights of those vulnerable communities in their midst, as the Qur’an teaches us to do. To do nothing will only play into the hands of the terrorists everywhere in the world. Muslims around the world should follow the example of Prophet Muhammad by granting a charter of rights, protection and other privileges to Christian communities living in Muslim majority countries. For two years now, ISNA has been working with Muslim scholars worldwide to develop a mechanism to address challenges faced by religious minorities in Muslim-majority communities around the world. ISNA is an association of Muslim organizations and individuals that provides a common platform for presenting Islam, supporting Muslim communities, developing educational, social and outreach programs and fostering good relations with other religious communities, and civic and service organizations.