Terror attacks by deviant foot soldiers can never be justified

On behalf of the Muslim community of Hong Kong, I am writing to express our heartfelt condolences for the innocent victims – young and old – of the horrific attacks in London and Manchester. Every innocent life lost anywhere in the world by way of a terrorist attack is a collective loss for the whole of humanity.

These individuals with Muslim names and misguided motives are claiming to avenge the politics-driven conflict in the Middle East. However, I, along with tens of thousands of Muslim scholars around the world, would like to point out how unjust violence, especially when it targets innocent civilians, can never be an acceptable response to any injustice these deviant foot soldiers of terror claim to be fighting against.

Our beloved Prophet Mohammed never condoned it and nor shall we.

There are no two ways about it in Islam or any other faith. If the Koran, Bible and Torah said nothing else but “do good and avoid evil”, there would always be people who will still miscontrue their true meaning and who would commit morally repugnant acts to suit their thinking. A study of history proves this to be the case.

Grieving for the lives lost and the pain endured by the relatives and friends of all innocent victims of terror, I pray that we are able to find a way to achieve stability and peace.

Meantime, I, along with Muslims the world over, would like to pay tribute to the unsung police and emergency services who worked valiantly to save many lives. Verse 32 in the fifth chapter of the Koran says: “To save one life is to save all of humanity.”