Mick Hartley

Nowadays we take our comforts where we can find them. I was happy to see this letter today in the Times, from a group of British Muslims:

We are Muslim professionals who live and work in the UK, and write on behalf of more than 20 other professional colleagues.

We feel deeply ashamed of the international campaign of wanton violence and terrorism carried out in the name of Islam. We express our utter abhorrence at the murder of thousands of innocent civilians in New York, Madrid, Istanbul, Riyadh and other places around the world. We also utterly condemn the barbaric acts of the so-called Iraqi resistance that is targeting Iraqi and foreign civilians who are trying to rebuild the infrastructure of that shattered country.

We specifically call upon Muslim imams and Muslim ulama (senior figures), both Sunnis and Shia, in the UK to issue a joint and unequivocal condemnation of all acts of violence against civilians in any country that are carried out in the name of Islam. Muslims all over the world must dissociate themselves from these criminals whose aim is to destroy freedom and civilisation. The proper place for these terrorists is behind bars.

We believe that Muslims have a special responsibility to fight this evil that is distorting and eroding our culture and heritage. We were once the guardians of civilised values and behaviour, and we should not allow the immoral creed represented by al-Qaeda and its various offshoots to hijack Islam.

“Muslims have a special responsibility to fight this evil”. Yes indeed.