The leaders of Muslim communities in Britain have condemned the “barbaric violence” of Islamic extremists fighting in Syria and Iraq.
At an event in London called to promote peace between the world’s religions, the Muslim Council of Britain, the Shia al-Khoei Foundation and other Muslim organisations said that fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (Isis) were acting “contrary to the values” of their religion.
They added that the extremists posed a threat to “Muslims of all demoninations and schools of thought” and expressed their outright opposition to the destruction and killing that the Islamist fighters were inflicting on the Iraqi and Syrian population.
They also appealed to all British Muslims to shun extremist ideology and to resist any attempt by extremists to lure young men and women from this country to join the fighting. The denunciation was delivered during a “Big Iftar” event celebrating Ramadan at the Imam Al Khoei Islamic centre in north London last night and followed a similar joint message at Westminster by Sunni and Shia groups.
Shuja Shafi, of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “Violence has no place in religion, violence has no religion. It is prohibited for people to present themselves for destruction.”
The joint statement, which is also signed by the British Muslim Forum, the Mosque and Imam National Advisory Board and more than 50 imams nationwide, condemned “the barbaric violence and destruction perpertrated by Isis” and denounces the Sunni group’s threats to destroy Shia holy sites as “contrary to the values of Islam”.
It follows mounting concern about the number of British residents travelling to fight in Syria. About 500 are estimated to have joined the conflict so far. They include Cardiff brothers Nasser and Aseel Muthana, seen posing with weapons in an Isis propaganda video with a third Briton last week, and 16-year-old twin sisters Salma and Zahra Halane from Manchester who are feared to have travelled to Iraq to marry jihadi fighters.
Last month an open letter signed by more than 100 imams urged British Muslims not to travel to the war-torn regions and called on communities “to continue the generous and tireless effort to support all of those affected by the crisis in Syria and unfolding events in Iraq”, but to do so “from the UK in a safe and responsible way”.
