U.S. Muslim Leaders Condemn Boston Bombings

Representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, on Friday joined other leaders at a new conference in Washington, D.C., to state that Americans will remain united in the face of developments in the Boston Marathon bombings that include the naming of suspects who are reportedly Muslim.

The CAIR website lists case by case, year by year examples of consistently condemning any form of terrorism. According to their website: "Any Muslim who plans, attempts or carries out a terrorist attack would be acting outside the boundaries of his or her faith and would be repudiated and condemned by our community."

In the same spirit, the Islamic Network Group (ING) issued a statement expressing their prayers which are with all of the victims and their families.  ING emphasized that "the ideology of extremists do not reflect the beliefs and practices of the vast majority of the ethnic or religious groups to which the extremists are associated, and that American Muslims vociferously and unequivocally condemn terrorism."

Interfaith Alliance president Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy released a statement from the national group saying that any hatred or violence expressed toward Muslims because the brothers were reportedly Muslim would be "against everything we stand for as Americans."

To read ING's Interfaith Commitment to Peace: Reflecting on the Boston Tragedy, click here.

In his statement at the National Press Club news conference CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:

"We will show the terrorists that their plan to sow division and distrust has failed. People of goodwill are not afraid. America will stay united. We will not turn on each other in the acts of false vengeance we have witnessed after other tragedies in the past.
 
American Muslims thank law enforcement for their diligent efforts to protect all our nation's citizens. We send our sincere condolences to the loved ones of the MIT police officer killed this morning and our prayers are with the law enforcement official who was wounded."