Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
French imams: Muslims must condemn ‘barbaric’ attack on newspaper

French imams: Muslims must condemn ‘barbaric’ attack on newspaper

Last updated on: January 7, 2015 at 9:29 pm by CNA Daily News

French imams: Muslims must condemn ‘barbaric’ attack on newspaper 2015-01-07T21:29:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, Jan 7, 2015 / 02:29 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Two French imams visiting the Vatican have called on Muslims to respond to the deadly attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo by rising up to express their disgust at the criminals who have “hijacked” their religion.

“Muslims are shocked and tired… the silent majority of them feel as if they are taken hostage,” Tareq Oubrou, director of the Mosque of Bordeaux, said Jan. 7.

Muslims need to demonstrate in public squares to “express their disgust” at the attack, he said, adding that the criminal action strikes “Islam and French Muslims.”

Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the Union of the French Mosque, emphasized that he was “frightened and shocked” by news of the attack, since he had just prayed with Pope Francis “for peace and brotherhood capable to consolidate and strengthen the world,” with a special intention for Christians in the Middle East.

“If extremists keep on doubling their effort and intensifying their actions, violence and atrocities, Muslims must intensify their reaction to these barbaric acts, sometimes unfortunately perpetuated in the name of Islam,” Moussaoui said.

The two religious leaders were among a delegation of four French imams making a two-day visit to the Vatican organized by the French bishops’ conference’s office for relations with Islam.

The Paris attack took place while the four imams were attending Pope Francis’ general audience in Vatican City’s Paul VI Hall. Oubrou and Mossaoui spoke about the attacks to the French news outlets La Croix and I-Media.

On Wednesday gunmen armed with a Kalashnikov and a rocket launcher attacked the Paris office of the newspaper Charlie Hebdo. They killed at least 12, including two police officers, and critically wounded four.

The attackers hijacked a car and sped away, shooting at police and running over a pedestrian, Agence France Presse reports.

According to police, witnesses said the attackers shouted phrases like “we have avenged the prophet” and “Allahu akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is greatest.”

The newspaper has a history of publishing provocative cartoons about Islam’s Prophet Mohammed, as well as obscene cartoons about Popes and Catholic nuns. Its latest edition featured a front-page story on French author Michel Houellebecq, whose controversial new novel “Submission” portrays a France ruled by an Islamic government.

French officials placed Paris on the highest security alert status in the wake of the attack.

Oubrou worried about the attack’s effects on France and on the French Muslim community.

“This act may split society and slow down the assimilation and integration of Muslims in French Society. Who benefits from this crime? Neither Islam, nor Muslims. Religions are made to unite people, and every act that would in the end split humanity is not a religious act,” he said.

He said the Muslim community must “rise up” to express “disgust” for the hijacking of Islam by madmen.

Moussaoui similarly said Muslims need to react against what he characterized as criminals’ instrumentalization of Islam.

Moussaoui said that French Muslims are “victims twice over” since on one side their religion is “exploited by criminals” and on the other they face “the populist attempt to take advantage from these criminal actions in order to worsen and reignite French society’s splits and fears.”

The French imams’ delegation to the Vatican also met with members of the French Seminary in Rome and visited the Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies in Rome.

The attack on the newspaper office drew worldwide condemnation.

Pope Francis voiced his “strongest condemnation” of the “horrible attack,” Holy See Press Office director Father Federico Lombardi said Jan. 7. Fr. Lombardi expressed both the Pope’s prayers for the victims and their families and his closeness to those who work for peace and justice in order to “heal in their depth the sources and causes of hate.”

The French Bishops Conference also issued a statement condemning the attacks.

“This is obviously unspeakable terror. Nothing can justify such violence,” the French bishops’ conference said. “The barbarism expressed in these killings hurts us all.”

“It affects more than freedom of expression, a fundamental element of our society,” the bishops said, adding that French society consists of “diversity of all kinds” and “must continually work to build peace and brotherhood.”

Europe

Previous Post

January 7, 2015

Vatican condemns 'horrible attack' on French newspaper

Next Post

January 7, 2015 Mercy and compassion at heart of papal visit to the Philippines

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Solomon's mother?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ruth Tamar Bathsheba Rahab