Muslim community issues strong condemnation

The Maltese Muslim community has condemned the recent attempts by Islamic extremists to explode aeroplanes flying from London to the US.

"The Maltese Muslim Community, completely and without reservations, condemns such barbaric acts of terrorism which, God forbid, had they succeeded, would have killed thousands of innocent people. We reiterate that Islam is a religion of peace, which prohibits aggression and the murdering of innocent people. This can be proved from various verses in the Holy Qur'an:

"And fight in the way of Allah those who fight against you, and do not be aggressors, surely Allah does not love the aggressors". (Qur'an 2:190)

"...whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind." (Qur'an 5:32)"

The Muslim community in a statement said it would like to completely disassociate itself "from the criminals who claim to perform such shameful acts in the name of Islam. "Indeed, had they been true Muslims, they would have never planned such evil. These criminals make our life as Muslims living in non-Muslim countries very hard because they fuel the misconception that Islam is a violent religion.

"We urge the authorities concerned to bring these criminals to justice and inflict upon them the punishment they deserve," the statement, signed by Mario Farrugia-Borg on behalf of the community, said. He added: "We show our full solidarity with the British people and urge them not to blame Islam for such mad deeds, and to understand that the absolute majority of Muslims, living in the UK or anywhere else, are peaceful, tolerant people, willing to live a quiet life just like everybody else.

"We urge all governments of goodwill to try and understand the reasons and motives behind the minds who plan such activities. Such acts are never justified, whatever the reasons and motives behind them. But those who plan these acts are most probably victims themselves...victims of those who brainwashed them.

"Finally, we must all keep in mind that peace can never exist without justice," the statement said.