Ryan ChartrandOver this year’s Thanksgiving holiday many American families, including Muslim Americans, came together from across country to celebrate the many blessings we have in our lives. We in the United States were delighting in the company of dear relatives, in the bounty of our traditional holiday feast, and also appreciating the rights and freedoms we are guaranteed as Americans.
Sadly, over our holiday, a terrible tragedy occurred in India. A violent gang of terrorists attacked luxury hotels and the Jewish center in Mumbai (Bombay), India killing and injuring over 400 people. The Cal Poly Muslim Student Association, as all peace-loving American Muslims surely do, categorically condemn these attackers as criminals.
Whomever committed these acts should be captured, tried, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The violent actions of these terrorists are in no way Islamic, and any claims they make of their actions being conducted in the name of God (Allah) are completely false, without merit, and utterly rejected by the true Muslim community. We would like to further express our deepest condolences to those who have been hurt, lost loved ones, or have been in any other way touched by this tragedy. Finally, we ask that our fellow Americans be sensitive to mischaracterization of American Muslims, and support our rights to live freely regardless of religion, creed, race, sexual orientation, or disability, alongside every other American.
Delilah Leval
Cal Poly Muslim Student Assocation