Are 250 Middle Eastern Lives not Equal to 130 Europeans or 14 Americans?

isis deadliest attack

The death toll in the car bombing in Karrada neighborhood in Baghdad just reach 250 and world is simply silent compared to when 130 people were killed in the three coordinated Paris attacks or when 14 people were killed in the San Bernardino shooting spree. News about the tragedy is quite few with only the major news sites having one or two articles about it and no one in social media seems to even mention the atrocity. No posts in Facebook newsfeeds and no hashtag about it on Twitter.

1. What Happened in Baghdad?

The bombing happened just a few days from Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramadan. People preparing for the holiday flocked the Karrada district of the capital particularly very popular the al-Hadi Centre shopping mall to look for new clothes and other items. Even the surrounding cafes were full because of the huge influx of people. Then, out of a sudden, a huge explosion blasted through the crowds instantly killing hundreds. The explosion also caused huge walls of fire fuelled by burning clothes, plastic, and other flammable materials. The walls of flame were high enough to trap many of those who survived the blast. Investigation later revealed that the source of the blast was a refrigeration vehicle parked near the shopping Centre. The vehicle was filled with explosives and remotely detonated. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack claiming it was to teach Shia Muslims a lesson. Shia Muslims are one of many Muslim minority groups marked as apostates by the Islamic State.

2. Why is the Attack not Getting Global Attention?

Is no one talking about the attack because it happened in Iraq and all of the victims are Muslims? This is the deadliest bombing in Iraq for the past 13 years and no one seems to mind. Some people may be misinterpreting the act as Muslim against Muslim when in truth; the atrocity is an act of terrorists against humanity. Muslims are not terrorists. More than 90% of Muslims denounce terrorism and do not consider terrorists as fellow Muslims. Terrorists are the enemy of all who wish to practice their faith. Islamic State has declared itself a worldwide caliphate and wants its archaic and twisted version of Islam to be the only religion.

3. Most Victims of Terrorism are Muslims

Numerous studies prove that if you add up all the victims of known terrorist attacks, most of the names in the list would be Muslim. This fact just goes to show that terrorist groups like the Islamic State are an enemy of Islam. We should never associate terrorists with Islam for whatever it is they are doing is not for religion. They simply want to divide us. They are sowing seeds of hate to prevent us from banding together against them. They know that they can only continue their tyranny if the world remains divided.

Suicide Bombers Attack Second Holiest Islam Site, Prove ISIS an Enemy of Islam

deadliest isis attack Prophet Mohammad’s Mosque is the second holiest place for Muslims, second only to the Al-Masjid Al-Haram or Grand Mosque which makes the recent terrorist attack a sacrilege to Islam itself. The attack was a part of a coordinated assault on Saudi Arabia as the end of Ramadan drew near. The other attacks hit the Shi’ite Muslim city of Qatif and the United States consulate in Jeddah. No group is yet to claim credit for the wanton assaults but their similarity to those conducted by the Islamic State on US allies last year are glaring.

Related Article: Baghdad bombing: Iraqis remind world that most of Isis’ victims are Muslims after more than 160 killed

Attacking a Most Holy Place During the Holy Month

Muslims of the world have steadfastly argued that terrorists do not represent Islam. In fact, Muslims look at terror groups as enemies of their religion. Terrorists are nothing more but infidels who have sold their religion to join barbarians and savages in committing crimes against humanity. Some non-Muslims believed such claims, and some don’t. But after the attack on Prophet Mohammad’s Mosque, there should not be any doubters anymore. If terrorists really respect Islam, they would not have performed such atrocities at such as sacred place and not during the holy month of Ramadan. Terrorists have no respect for faith. They simply manufactured their own version of a religion and call it their version of Islam. No one should be fooled. Islam is a religion of peace. Islam teaches its followers to be loyal to the country they live in whether or not that country is a Muslim country.

Related Article: No One Wants to See ISIS Defeated More Than Muslims

Attacks an Act of Desperation

The Islamic State is growing desperate. It has suffered consecutive losses in the past months due the growing efforts of various countries against the terror group. ISIS has lost several key strongholds this year alone and now it is desperate to show that it is still as strong as before. And what better way to remind the world of what it can do than attacking one of the holiest of places for Muslims and doing so during the sacred month of Ramadan. We should not be fooled. These acts of desperation are just proof that the world is doing better in its fight against terrorism. More and more countries are openly waging war against Islamic State. As long as we stand together, time will get when we will finally rid ourselves of this blight known as IS.

IS Wants to Ruin the Celebration

The end of Ramadan or Eid is one to be celebration. It is a day when Muslims are to be congratulated for completing the month of fasting and proving their discipline and dedication to their faith. And since IS wants Muslims and the rest of the world to adapt their so-called True Islam which in reality is just their own twisted version of the faith, they are against this celebration. This is why for a few years now, IS has perpetrated attacks during the last few days of Ramadan.

Healing Brussels – Donate and Help the Victims

pray for brussels healing

The March twin terror attacks on Brussels that devastated the Belgian capital have left the whole world reeling especially since Paris has also suffered suicide bombings in November last year. In response, many cities and organizations from everywhere in the world have organized ways to make it easier for people to extend their help to the victims.

Related Article: How to Help Victims of the Brussels Attacks

The Brussels Attacks were carried out by three suicide bombers. Two of them blew themselves up at the Brussels Airport. Then when the panic sent droves of people to flee via the Brussels Metro Station, the third bomber detonated himself there. The attacks killed 34 people and injured 200 others. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombings and said the attacks were in retaliation for Belgium’s active involvement in the fight against ISIS in the Middle-East. In response, the Belgian government issued its highest level terror alert and put the Air Port and the Metro Station into lock down. The following are the ways you can help the victims of the carnage:

• GoFundMe – this is the most commonly used website for gathering donations where anyone in the world can contribute. Anyone can create a GoFundMe page but this time, it was crowdfunding platform itself that created a page for the victims of the Brussels attack and their families. The page aims to raise $100,000 and GoFundMe has already made an initial donation of $25,000. The GoFundMe community currently has 20 million users and the campaign is expected to raise several times the targeted amount. The proceeds will be transferred to an official charity organization.

• Belgian Red Cross – the Belgian Red Cross immediately deployed more than a 100 rescuers to the Airport and Metro Station after hearing about the tragedy. The organization says that it has ample manpower and blood but heavily needs funds to acquire the necessary equipment. It also needs fuel for the vans it is using to gather blood donations as well as distribute blood to hospitals and centers. Donating to the Belgian Red Cross will be like directly helping those injured in the terror attacks.

Related Article: Euro 2016: Belgian polce hunt for missing explosives amid fear of terrorist attack at tournament

• Twitter – people who want to help in ways other than donating money can use social networking platform Twitter. By using the hashtag # ikwilhelpen (Dutch for “I want to help”) you can let people know that you are ready and willing to offer your home or a part of your home to serve as temporary housing for the victims and other people who are stranded because of the bombings. You can also check out the Twitter account @BrusselsLift where you can list your car if you wish to take part in providing free rides to the stranded.

Your prayers will also be a great help in helping Brussels heal. Include the victims in your prayers each night.

Notable Examples of Muslims Denouncing Acts of Terror by Atif Fareed

AMCC President Atif Fareed continuously seeks to improve relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. One obstacle he often encounters in this endeavour is the fact that many non-Muslims do not want to give Muslims a chance because they think Muslims are not vocal enough in denouncing terrorism. Fareed says that this is not true. For more than a decade now, Muslim leaders have been very vocal in condemning terror attacks.

1. 2011 Alexandria bombing

Egyptian Muslims did not just condemn the January 1, 2011 Alexandria bombing that killed 23 people and injured 97 others, they came out and put themselves in harm’s way to prove that they stand with the Coptic Christians that the attack has targeted. During the January 6, 2011 mass service held to remember those who died in the attack, the Egyptian Muslims showed up at the Coptic churches and formed human shields to protect the Christians praying inside. For days, Egyptian Muslims and Coptic Christians joined together in street protests, rallies, and social media campaigns. They showed that we should not let terrorism divide us. Instead, we should work closer together and be hand in hand in protecting one another.

2. 2010 Vow to Fight Al Qaeda

In November 2010, Bakeel Tribe Chieftain Naji bin Abdul-Aziz al-Shaif led thousands of tribesmen from various Yemeni tribes in a rally where they pledged to fight alongside the government against the threat of the Al Qaeda. He further said that the terrorist group is ruining the reputation of the country, Yemeni tribes, and Islam itself. He also called out Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to do everything in his power to drive the terrorist organization out of Yemen.

3. 2009 Northwest Airlines Flight 253 Bombing Attempt

Numerous Muslim groups condemned the bombing attempt that if successful would have taken the lives of the 290 people on board the Northwest Airlines Flight 253. A group of Canadian and US Islamic Leaders immediately issued a fatwa denouncing the attack saying that the attack was not only an attack towards Americans, it was also an attack towards Muslims living in America. 20 imams belonging to the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada signed the fatwa. The fatwa emphasized one teaching from the Quran that tells Muslims to be loyal to the country where they live.

promote peace

Atif Fareed hopes that these examples can help clear the misconception that Muslims often choose to stay silent in regards to terror attacks on non-Muslim countries. Terrorism is an enemy of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Poland PM’s Response to the Brussels Attack Inappropriate Says Atif Fareed

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo is seen arriving to attend the second day of an European Union Summit held at the EU Council building in Brussels, on March 18, 2016. / AFP / THIERRY CHARLIER (Photo credit should read THIERRY CHARLIER/AFP/Getty Images)

The three suicide bombing attacks that hit Brussels in the morning of March 22, 2016 served as a grim reminder of the Paris attacks that happened in November of last year. The Brussels attacks left 31 people dead and about 300 others injured. Leaders from all around the globe denounced the senseless attacks. Many called for unity in these trying times while some resorted to more drastic measures.

Poland PM Refuses to Take in Immigrants

Fighting in the Middle East has displaced millions of people. Each year, thousands of migrants and refugees die while trying to get to safer soil. Most of the casualties happen at sea as many immigrants risk their lives by travelling in severely overloaded boats. to help keep immigrants safe, the European Union has forged an agreement in which each European country is given a set number of immigrants it must welcome into its custody. After the terrorist attack in Brussels, however, , the Prime Minister of Poland, announced that Poland is closing its doors to all immigrants.

The First EU Member to Abandon Immigrants

The Polish PM states that the move is not retaliation for the three Poles that were injured in the attacks but a necessary step to keep Poland safe since there is no way of guaranteeing none of the immigrants is a terrorist in disguise. Before the attack, Poland has agreed to take in 7000 immigrants this year. The plan, however, was not agreed upon by the previous Prime Minister, not Szydlo. Szydlo insists that his country’s doors will remain closed to refugees until the Polish government is able to guarantee that all of them are really victims and not criminals.

Related Articles:

POLAND: “We are NOT Western Europe, we will NOT be infiltrated by Muslim terrorists posing as refugees” – http://goo.gl/jOwrL4

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Europe slams migrant door: Hungary, Austria and Holland shut borders as Germany imposes controls – saying it can’t cope – http://goo.gl/7J0lzL

The Polish PM’s Decision is Making Matters Worse

Atif Fareed, the president of the American Muslim Community Centers, criticized PM Szydlo’s decision. Fareed said that Europe is currently dealing with the worst migrant crisis since the Second World War and one country refusing migrants will likely lead to complications. In 2015 alone, more than 1.2 million refugees fled the Middle East looking for a better life in Europe. Poland is setting a bad example and if other EU countries follow its lead, a significant portion of the 120,000 refugees EU is supposed to house this year will be left without a home.

poland refuses refugees

Atif Fareed calls for unity. Refugees are also victims of the terrorists’ rampage in the Middle East. We should show terrorists that we are not scared. And we should not sacrifice our humanity by turning away those who need help the most, the refugees.

Atif Fareed Thanks the Internet for Standing Up to Islamophobe After the Brussels Attack

One day after the Brussels terror attack that killed 34 people (the three suicide bombers included) and injured more than 300 people, some people most notably GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, were quick to blame all of the 1.6 billion Muslims throughout the world. Atif Fareed, president of the AMCC, believes such blame is irrational. The four men who carried out the attack do represent neither Islam nor the Muslims.

People who discriminate against Muslims and associate all Muslims to terror attacks are generally referred to as Islamophobes.

Related Article: Orlando, Florida: Billboards stress commonality of religions

Recently, one Islamophobe named Matthew P. Doyle (@MatthewDoyle31) made waves in the Twitterverse by twitting that he confronted a Muslim woman yesterday in Croydon and asked her to explain Brussels. He said that the Muslim woman simply answered, “Nothing to do with me.” Doyle described the woman’s answer as a mealy mouthed reply. Atif Fareed denounces this tweet as extremely racist and discriminatory. Why should Muslims explain things that terrorists did? Thankfully, Fareed was not alone. Twitter users quickly came to the defense of the said Muslim woman with the following tweets:

@TechnicallyRon, “I confronted a dog today & asked him about that time when I was 4 and a dog bit me. “woof” he said. A mealy mouthed reply.”

@mrdavidwhitley, “I confronted someone who was eating yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said “Hmmm-nng-mmgh”. A mealy mouthed reply.”

“Confronted a bloke with elbow patches in Croydon. Asked him to explain earthquakes. He said “Nothing to do with me”. A mealy mouthed reply.”

@LeeJasper, “I confronted a White woman yesterday in Croydon. Asked her to apologize for slavery. She said ‘Nothing to do with me’ A mealy mouthed reply.”

@garwboy, “Confronted a self-service machine in Tesco, Asked it to explain Brussels. It said “Please place items in bagging area”. Mealy mouthed reply.”

@robbiereviews, “I confronted a man who was eating a bowl of muesli yesterday in Croydon. He said “mmfflfffmufflrgh”. A mealy mouthed reply.”
@twlldun, “I confronted an Irish woman. I asked her to explain “Mrs Brown’s Boys: Da movie”. She said “nothing to do with me”. A mealy mouthed reply.”

@trabasack, “Confronted a bloke in a lab coat in Croydon. Asked him to explain cancer. He said “Nothing to do with me”. A mealy mouthed reply.”

@chinnyhill10, “I confronted a German about bombing my Grandad’s shed in WW2. “Nothing to do with me”. A mealy mouthed reply.”

@MikeRossP, “Confronted a plastic bag in Croydon. Asked him to explain the Pacific trash vortex. He said “Nothing to do with me”. A mealy mouthed reply.”

Atif Fareed believes that the responses to Mr. Doyle’s Islamophobic tweet just show that the most of the world believes that terrorists do not represent Islam.

Terrorists Don’t Represent Islam

A series of coordinated terror attacks hit various locations in Paris on the evening of November 13, 2015 resulting to the deaths of 130 people and the injury of 368 others. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks through its statement in social media. IS did not give a reason for the attacks but many believe that they were in retaliation for France’s presence in Syria. AMCC President Atif Fareed calls for unity amidst these trying times and hopes that innocent Muslims will not be blamed for what the terrorists have done.

Hate Crimes Against Muslim Americans

Atif Fareed cites numerous reports of hate crimes against Muslim Americans after the Paris attacks. There have also been numerous reports of mosques and other Muslim establishments of worship being vandalized and defaced. Fareed calls for restraint and that the culprits are channelling their anger towards the wrong direction. Muslims are together with the rest of the world in mourning for the victims of the senseless attacks. Islam should not be targeted in retaliation for the attacks because the barbarians who carried out the attack are not true Muslims.

Condemnation from the Muslim World

The Paris attack drew strong condemnation from Muslims all over the world. Muslims from all walks of life, from government and religious leaders to ordinary citizens, expressed their sorrow and anger in various outlets, mostly social media.

• Iranian president Hassan Rouhani called the attacks a crime against humanly.
• Indonesian president Joko Widodo denounced the attacks and urged the international community to step up in its efforts to combat terrorism.
• Leaders of various Arab states described the attacks as immoral and inhumane and said that the perpetrators do not deserve to be remembered as Muslims.
• Qatar’s foreign minister Khaled al-Attiyah described the attacks as heinous and against humanity and morality.
• Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah described the attacks as criminal and going against all the teachings of Islam.
• The Saudi foreign ministry called the Islamic State a dangerous and destructive plague that should be eradicated.

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Terrorists Represent Themselves and not Islam

Terrorists do not carry these attacks for the glory of Islam. Terrorists do the things they do to further their own agenda. These self-proclaimed jihadists and fundamentalists are a disgrace to the Muslim community. They are distorting the image of Islam and causing non-Muslims to fear Islam. Islam is a religion of love, peace, and discipline. Mosques and Muslim centers from around the globe are inviting non-Muslims to visit and learn more about the Muslim faith.

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