November 12, 2009

MPAC Board Member Shams Ghoneim, who lives in Cedar Rapids, IA, had the following op-ed published in the Iowa Press-Citizen:

Like so many other Americans, I was stunned when I saw the TV evening news Thursday night and learned of the horrific murders at Fort Hood, Texas. Thirteen brave women and men, soldiers and staff, gunned down and 31 wounded.... It's a betrayal on all fronts.

The shooting simply defies our comprehension. We're left wondering how a health care professional -- one who took the oath to do no harm, to save lives and to protect all under his care -- could commit such a heinous crime?

To add more insult to injury, the alleged shooter was born and raised as a Muslim American. He benefited from his adopted country's many gifts and opportunities -- including his own education and professional training.]
As Muslim American, I am in deep pain, grief and in disbelief. How can the message and teachings of Islam and the Holy Quran -- with the sanctity of human life and of God's gift of life at its core -- be so lost in one day of indescribable horror and violence?

As the Holy Quran states, "(God) ordain that if anyone slays a human being it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he has saved the life of all mankind."]No religion, no political or religious ideology should ever lead a person of true faith to such heinous and evil crime.

Today all Muslims, all American Muslim organizations join people of faith and their fellow Americans in mourning precious lives lost and families devastated.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council, Iowa Chapter, released the following statement Friday: "We Muslims in Iowa and all across the nation in this day of mourning, sorrow, and remembrance on our holiest of days, pray for the wounded, for the families, for the soldiers, for the victims, and for our healing from the creator."

May those who lost their lives so violently rest in heaven and may God's mercy and love surround them. And may we remember that the Holy Quran also states, "Oh, human beings! Behold, We (God) have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know and cherish one another."

-- Shams Ghoneim is a community member of the Press-Citizen Editorial Board and is the coordinator for the Iowa chapter of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.