Monday, July 18, 2005

We need more Muslim leaders saying this

Hassan Yousuf Yassin, a former Saudi official, addresses the terrorist in an op-ed piece in today's Financial Times. I've heard similar sentiments many times from Muslims, but I wonder if the message is getting out in a form the disaffected youngsters will pay attention to, such as from Imams, in Arabic:
FT.com / Comment & analysis / Comment - For love of Islam, terror must stop: "Allow me to say to the suicide bombers and to those behind them: the people you killed are those who demonstrated boundless empathy and generosity towards the victims of the Asian tsunami, most of them Muslims; they are the people whose leader was preparing to announce the most ambitious and compassionate initiative to improve the lives of millions of Africans, many of them Muslims; they are the people who walked in their millions to oppose the war in Iraq; they are Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Jews who live with respect and tolerance towards each other and who have called for the spread of these values and for a just peace in the Middle East. Tell me, what have you ever achieved by your terror? Show me one person whom you have helped, one noble cause you have furthered."