Muslims Denounce Terrorism in Peace March
A group of American Muslims gathered outside the United States Capitol to denounce terrorism and promote the “true Islam” of peace during the third annual Muslim Peace March, press reports said on Monday.
Imam Islam Mossaad, leader of the North Austin Muslim Community Center, spoke Sunday morning on the steps of the state Capitol about “Islam’s true goal: world peace,” as both Muslims and non-Muslims carried signs that read “Muslims Reject Terror” and “Peace Be Upon You.”
” We’re letting people know that this is what we stand for as Muslims. We can find peace with the golden rule and mutual respect for each other ”
Zignat Abdisubhan, University of Texas Muslim Students Association
“We wanted to send a clear message of peaceful co-existence,” Mossaad told Al Arabiya. “By marching peacefully and quietly in Islamic attire often associated with terrorists, we showed the true side of Islam; peace.”
The event, which counted two dozen participants, marked the third time Austin Muslims have marched to denounce terrorism.
“We’re letting people know that this is what we stand for as Muslims,” Zignat Abdisubhan, vice president of the University of Texas Muslim Students Association, told Austin-based paper The Statesman. “We can find peace with the golden rule and mutual respect for each other.”
Sheikh Ja’far Muhibullah, imam of the al-Mahdi Center in Northwest Austin, added that “the Prophet Muhammad preached that an act of injustice should not be met with another act of injustice.”
“By submitting to Allah, one finds inner peace,” Muhibullah said. “But that peace must transcend one’s inner self to the external environment.”
The march triggered positive responses from pedestrians.
Mossaad recounted a story of a woman jogging by who was reported agreeing with an “Islam Is Peace” banner by replying “Anyone with an education knows that!”
The Muslim Peace March is organized by the Central Texas Muslimaat.
Al Arabiya