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WORDE's call to action following the tragedy of Ft Hood
For Immediate Release
November 07, 2009
WORDE staff and supporters would like to send its heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of the brutal massacre at Ft Hood. There is nothing we can say to alleviate their suffering; however, we can promise not to ignore the problem. Though it appears Major Hasan's act will not be defined as an act of religiously motivated terrorism, his behavior is cause for alarm within the Muslim community and requires us to take a look at what community resources are dedicated to preventing violent extremism. We can unequivocally state that the majority of Muslims in this country condemn acts of violence committed in the name of our faith, but we no longer can deny that a minority segment of the community has been indoctrinated with ideas of hate, intolerance and deviant interpretations of Islam.
Therefore we at WORDE ask our fellow Muslims to be at the forefront of a National Agenda to prevent violent extremism. This requires marshalling of community resources for counter-radicalization programs in the mosque and working proactively with law enforcement to identify persons we believe post a threat to the security of Americans. We have an obligation as Americans to demonstrate that Muslims are loyal citizens, military personnel, and patriots. We must unequivocally teach our communities there is nothing in Islam which prevents us from serving in the US military with honor and integrity.
"Major Hasan's blog posts about suicide bombing make it clear that he had deviant understandings of Islamic rules and laws. If he regularly attended prayers both at home and at work, didn't anyone talk with him about his views and his grievances? These kinds of warning signs should not be ignored" says WORDE President Hedieh Mirahmadi.
WORDE specialist Zeyno Baran had this to say: "How many more innocent victims need to die before the Muslim community recognizes the radicalization problem in our midst, and starts defending our communities against this extreme understanding of Islam that is poisoning American Muslims?"
WORDE also calls on the Obama Administration along with members of Congress to put forward a preventing violent extremism agenda, which would include understanding the threat from deviant Islamic interpretations of military Jihad as well as the ideological and social factors involved in the threat.
For media inquiries, please contact staff@worde.org or call us at 202-595-1355.
WORDE's mission is to help close the critical gap of communication and understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities, the gap which leads to conflict, political instability, and social tension. WORDE bridges that gap by bringing together a wide variety of experts from diverse cultures who develop effective, long-term solutions for resource development, educational reform, and international security. |
