11/1/18: Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi welcoming words and statement during an interfaith press conference at the Islamic House of Wisdom!
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi welcoming words and statement during an interfaith press conference at the Islamic House of Wisdom!
November 1, 2018
Honoring the victims of hate, fear-mongering, war, violence and terror from Tree of Life Synagogue, murder in Jeffersontown, crime against journalist Khashoggi, massacre of innocents in Yemen, Syria, Gaza, Afghanistan and other suffering zones in the world.
Honorable religious and community leaders, honorable guests, salaam, shalom, peace and good afternoon.
Welcome to this press conference of condolences, sympathy and solidarity with the families of victims of hatred, war, violence, terrorism and oppression.
Our heartfelt condolences to the families and the congregation of Tree of Life Synagogue. As a Muslim community, we are with you and we feel your pain. We ask the Lord to bless with strength to cope with your loss.
After this terrible tragedy, we, in the Muslim community, express our support for our brothers and sisters in the Jewish faith with our voices, blood donation, money, time and mosque resources.
We may disagree over politics, but the Muslim community has always respected Judaism as an Abrahamic tradition whose prophet Moses (pbuh) is honored in the Quran 136 times and the true teachings of the Torah and the values of Jewish faith.
Based on the Quran, protection of places of worship such as synagogues, churches, temples and mosques is a religious duty of every Muslim. One way to save our spiritual, educational and other public places from violence is to restrict weapons of mass murdering anywhere on the streets of America. At the same time, we must continue to stand up and speak out against hate, fear-mongering and gun violence.
The way to make America great again is to honor its Constitution, its Declaration of Independence, its democracy, its religious liberty, its diversity and pluralism instead of creating division, harassing immigrants, inciting anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and sending bombs to media and people you disagree with.
To achieve these goals, we need a new vision in our political leadership. People blessed with the gift of courage, conscience, compassion, commitment standing for truth, justice, unity, love, integrity and American values. I hope this Tuesday's Midterm election sends a stern moral and mighty message.
As we mourn with the families of victims of this horrible tragedy at the Tree of Life synagogue, let’s not forget other victims of hate, racism and oppression. From the murder of African-Americans in Jeffersontown to the unspeakable and unbelievable murder, dismembering and destroying the body of an unarmed Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi royal family, followed with everyday lies, propaganda and dishonesty of the corrupt kingdoms of Arabia.
As people of faith and followers of the Abrahamic traditions, we must stand against injustice, hate and hypocrisy. From the war crimes in Yemen, to the death and injury of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, to the criminal terrorism of the Taliban in Afghanistan, ISIS in Iraq, Syria and Libya, to the brutality and dictatorship in Bahrain.
Martin Luther King spoke for all of us when he said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” Thank you for your presence and patience!