THE CHAIRMAN of the Bromsgrove Muslim Community Trust has condemned the actions of the ‘Islamic State’ group which beheaded British aid worker David Haines.
Writing this week for The Standard, Dr Waqar Azmi, who is also the Convener of UK’s National Coalition of Muslim Organisations, said: “All of us irrespective of our race, colour, faith (or no faith) share the shock and horror of the murder of the ‘British hero’ aid worker David Haines. Our condolences go out to his family and friends – they are in our thoughts and prayers.
“As horrifying as the act is, the fact this has been carried out by an organisation calling itself the ‘Islamic State’ is also horrifying for us Muslims.
“As proud Bromsgrovian Muslims we, like other British Muslims in the UK, condemn this act of evil by people who are pure evil. There is no legitimacy for such evilness in Islam.
“There is no one better than David Haines’ brother, Mike Haines who, when reading out a verse from the Holy Quran, which says ‘since good and evil cannot be equal, repel thou evil with something that is better’ pointed out that ‘the Muslim faith is not to blame for the Islamic State’.
“All of us would also agree wholeheartedly with the Prime Minister when he says that ‘Islam is a religion of peace. They (ISIS) are not Muslims, they are monsters’ as well as our MP, Sajid Javid when he tweeted: ‘Sickened by barbaric murder of David Haines. Aid workers worldwide are our heroes’.”
He went on to say that the Bromsgrove Muslim Community Trust supported the efforts of the Government and our authorities in rooting out such evil.
“This week I was part of a group of senior leaders who have written to the Prime Minister to ask that he uses a different name for ISIS, and to lead a national debate on what it should be called. We propose that ‘Un-Islamic State’ (UIS) is an accurate and fair alternative name to describe this group and its agenda.
“Calling it by their preferred name not only plays into their hands as it legitimises them but also makes it legitimate in the eyes of a young vulnerable person at risk of radicalisation.
“We in Britain have a long tradition of not allowing evilness in whatever shape or form to be legitimised.
“Let us therefore work together and make sure these evil people don’t get the propaganda they need nor are they allowed to divide us as a community.
“We have always stood tall in the face of evil and always will.”
