Johari Abdul-Malik – Paris Attacks Press Conference
AI: Summary ©
A representative from the Muslim alliance in North America calls on the French community to redouble their efforts to confront extremism and to create a community of trust and cooperation. They emphasize that the attack on their neighbor is an attack on all humanity and the universal values that share. The representative also calls on the Muslim community to come forward and identify individuals involved in the attack.
AI: Summary ©
In the name of god, the most gracious,
the most merciful,
we stand together with the US CMO and
all people of conscience
saying that the scriptures of the Quran teach
us
that if you take the life of 1
person, it would be as if you had
taken the life of all of humanity.
Our prayers and condolences go out
to the families
of those who have lost their loved ones
and to the injured in this tragedy.
As people of faith and moral conviction,
we encourage
everyone
to reach out to one another during this
time of crisis
no matter what their race or religion,
their national origin, or gender.
President Barack Obama said it well in his
statement from the White House yesterday.
This attack is not just in Paris.
It is not just an attack
on the French people,
but this is an attack
on all of humanity
and the universal values that we share.
I would like to let everyone know
that we believe that evil only triumphs
when good people do nothing.
Therefore, we stand in solidarity with the French
people and call upon the Muslim community, both
in France and in the United States,
to redouble their efforts and vigilance
in confronting extremism wherever they may find it.
As an aside, we know that in America,
that the Muslim community has been on the
front line
of identifying
extremists within our community as others have done
in their communities.
An attack on my neighbor is an attack
on me.
And it could have been anyone's child, husband
or wife, brother or sister, mother or father
that was killed in the random act of
violence in Paris yesterday.
We must create a community of trust and
cooperation.
Someone in Paris knows the
individuals who are involved in this, and we
are calling upon them
to come forward just as Muslims in America
have come forward,
joining together with our neighbors.
Doctor King reminds us
in his famous statement from the Birmingham jail
that we are caught in an inescapable
network of mutuality
tied together in a single garment of destiny,
that whatever affects one directly
affects all of us indirectly.
And, therefore, a threat to justice anywhere is
a threat to justice everywhere.
We, as the Muslim
alliance in North America,
send our condolences
and extend
our hand
to do whatever we can
in the way to bring peace and,
cooperation, solidarity
in this time of crisis.
Thank you.