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

Muslimah Next Door

Home
Muslim
Where Our Concern Should Be Right Now – With the Victims, Not the Faith of the Perpetrators of Violence

Where Our Concern Should Be Right Now – With the Victims, Not the Faith of the Perpetrators of Violence

Last updated on: April 15, 2013 at 5:49 pm by Dilshad Ali

Where Our Concern Should Be Right Now – With the Victims, Not the Faith of the Perpetrators of Violence 2013-04-15T17:49:24-04:00 Dilshad Ali

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.

If you’re Muslim, you can’t help but be thinking, oh God – let it not be a Muslim. Please, don’t let whoever is behind the explosions at the Boston Marathon be Muslim. It crosses most of our minds. I’ll start with myself – from the time I was in college at the University of Maryland in the 1990s and the Oklahoma City bombing happened, to now, it’s the first thing I think when I hear about a bombing – please, don’t let it be a Muslim.

But here’s the thing. That shouldn’t be our primary concern. Shaykh Omar Suleiman, instructor with the Islamic Learning Foundation, Mishkah University and Al Maghrib Institute said it best in his Facebook status:

“I don’t mean this to pick on anyone. I understand the fear of backlash if this attack was perpetuated by Muslims, but our primary concern should be with innocent lives lost.”

That the faith of Christians, Jews or any other religious group is not called so much into question when a terrorist attack is committed by someone of that faith – that is not what we need to focus on (as a commenter on Shaykh Omar’s thread suggested).

Our attention as humans witnessing tragedies around the world should be focused on the victims, their loved ones, first responders and those who help. The questions and investigations will of course happen. Of course we don’t want perpetuators of evil and violence to be associated with our faith, whatever our faith is. As my friend and colleague Elizabeth Scalia, managing editor of the Catholic Channel at Patheos says, anytime she hears of some sex scandal, she immediately hopes it wasn’t a Catholic.

But we are better than that. Let us think of those who lost their lives, who are injured, who are scared. Let us pray for them, for all of us, for violence to end in all its forms.

Another thing to note – comparing media coverage of different tragedies is also pointless at times like these. I read another update on Facebook shared by a friend of mine, from a man named Adham Sahloul, who has family in Syria:

“I will not call this a tipping point for me, but it sure is pretty close:

To those of us on Twitter and Facebook who dare to say “I wish people paid attention to Syria the same way they pay attention to Boston,” shame on us. SHAME on us. We’ve learned nothing, really. There is no competition in pain, suffering, or injustice. Injustice is injustice, regardless of where we are and what we believe. Are we so arrogant as to try to “remind” people, when the dust has not even settled in Boston, or even afterwards? Just how jaded are we? Are we that disconnected from reality and from our immediate lives? America is OUR country; these are OUR fellow citizens; this is OUR family. We should be just as angry, if not more, because this is happening in OUR own backyard.

My prayers to all those in Boston. May God guide us in the right direction and lift this sickness from our hearts. … may God forgive us.”

A friend of mine from the autism community was running the marathon today, as she has done so many times, raising funds for the Boston school that has done so much for her son. She is fine, thank God. Other friends are reporting that their loved ones who were competing or watching the marathon are also fine. But many are not. Two are dead, and latest reports say more than 100 injured.

Let’s send our prayers to them. Let us pray for no more violence.

Uncategorized

Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon Explosions

Previous Post

April 9, 2013

Dilshad Ali – Why I am a Muslim

Next Post

April 16, 2013 When an Autism Awareness Event is Anything But

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Global Voice for Autism Autism Awareness Month 2016 Autism Awareness Month 2017 Autism Interlude Hajj and Eid ul Adha Jenin Autism Project Ramadan Three Questions Uncategorized WISE Global Conference

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 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 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible is known as the 'Book of Beginnings'?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Genesis Psalms Exodus Job