We welcomed President Obama's statement Tuesday night that in responding to extremists' efforts to inspire acts of violence in the U.S. we must act "with the strength of our communities, with respect for the rule of law, and with the conviction that American Muslims are a part of our American family."
At a time when American Muslims are perceived by many as suspect, and are being targeted by some in the political arena, it is important to reiterate that they abhor violence by fundamentalists acting in the name of Islam just as much as we who are members of America's other religions abhor the actions of extremists acting in our names here and around the world.
We must not stereotype. It is wrong, inaccurate and inflammatory. Our heritage and strength as a country lie in coming together in all our diversity and varying religious and political perspectives -- as occurred after the tragic shooting in Tucson -- to condemn the violence of the few who would act to destroy the peace, unity and security we all hold so dear.
Ritu Zazzaro & Anne Alleva, Co-chairs on behalf of the Connecticut Council on Interreligious Understanding (CCIU)
At a time when American Muslims are perceived by many as suspect, and are being targeted by some in the political arena, it is important to reiterate that they abhor violence by fundamentalists acting in the name of Islam just as much as we who are members of America's other religions abhor the actions of extremists acting in our names here and around the world.
We must not stereotype. It is wrong, inaccurate and inflammatory. Our heritage and strength as a country lie in coming together in all our diversity and varying religious and political perspectives -- as occurred after the tragic shooting in Tucson -- to condemn the violence of the few who would act to destroy the peace, unity and security we all hold so dear.
Ritu Zazzaro & Anne Alleva, Co-chairs on behalf of the Connecticut Council on Interreligious Understanding (CCIU)