Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK Condemns Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack in Paris

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK has strongly condemned the Islamist attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, France.

On 7th January 2015 two masked men, armed with assault rifles, forced their way into the newsroom of the satirical newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad and killed 12 people including a police officer.

Rafiq Hayat, National President, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, said: “We are deeply shocked by this atrocity that has taken 12 lives and injured scores more. We offer our condolences to the families of the victims and those left bereaved.

“Under no circumstances does Islam permit a person to take the law into his own hands. It is never right to mock the sensitivities of any religion; nevertheless, there is absolutely no justification in Islam for violent response to any provocation.”

Witnesses said they heard the gunmen shouting “We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad” and “God is Greatest” in Arabic (“Allahu Akbar”) while calling out the names of the journalists killed.

Hayat expressed hope that the perpetrators of the attack would be “swiftly arrested and brought to justice with the full weight of the law.”

He added: “It is a great source of regret that such violent acts and terrorist activities continue to be associated with Islam – despite the fact they have nothing to do with Islam’s true teachings.”

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