New Jersey Muslim groups condemn Paris attacks
BY LINDA MOSS AND MINJAE PARK
Condemning the attacks in Paris, Muslim groups statewide on Sunday vowed to fight extremists by finding ways to prevent them from recruiting youths. They and law enforcement groups also announced they’re teaming up with outreach to the public.
A coalition of a dozen Muslim organizations, including three from Passaic County and the Council of Imans in New Jersey, issued statements denouncing the multiple acts of violence in the City of Lights on Friday.
Representatives of several mosques said they had stepped up their own security as a precaution. But so far, none of the New Jersey Muslim groups had reported any incidents of retaliation, according to their leaders and Chris Rodriguez, director of the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
“Islam is against terrorism and does not condone or provide any justification, whatsoever, for such despicable acts,” said a statement from Mohammad Ali Chaudry, on behalf of groups including the Islamic Center of Passaic County, the American Arab Civic Organization and the American Muslim Union, all based in Paterson.
Chaudry, president of the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge in Somerset County said that on behalf of the Muslim community, he is helping organize a press conference and panel discussion on Tuesday at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Participants will include both Muslim religious and civic figures as well as representatives of law enforcement, including Homeland Security, said Chaudry, who is a part-time professor teaching courses about Islam at Rutgers.
Homeland Security also has set up a public webinar for Monday at 2 p.m. at http://www.njhomelandsecurity.gov/, Rodriguez said, to review confirmed information about the Paris attack as well as potential homeland-security implications.
One goal for Tuesday’s press conference is to give the public a context, from a religious perspective, for what happened in Paris, according to Chaudry.
“We want the press to know, the public in general to know, what Islam stands for and how the faith does not provide any basis for people to take these kinds of actions in the name of Islam,” he said.
Area Muslim groups aim to organize a more in-depth panel on terrorism, in part to discuss ways to work more closely with law enforcement, Chaudry said., adding “And more importantly, even for the Muslim community itself, how do we make sure that we don’t have young people in New Jersey who are possibly exposed to radicalization and how do we prevent that. What is our role as leaders of our Islam centers and mosques to make sure that no extreme groups or messages are being propagated?”
The challenge is to respect freedom of speech and religion and yet acknowledge that young people can be lured on the Internet by extremists, Chaudry said. Muslims must have their own youths take the lead in “in preventing others from being radicalized,” he said.
Rodriguez convened a call with Muslim leaders on Saturday to brief them on the attacks and security statewide. As of Sunday, there were no specific credible terror threats to New Jersey, he said. But he said his department is “very sensitive to the possibility of retaliation” against the Muslim community.
The Islam Center of Passaic County and the American Arab Civic Organization both reported extra security measures.
By coincidence, Homeland Security is holding a day-long seminar on Wednesday featuring experts on violent extremists, Rodriguez said. It will be held at Kean College in Union.
At the Bergen County Islamic Education Center in Hackensack on Sunday, Mohammad Hamza of Hackensack and Ahmed Abdelrazek of Leonia said the imam at the center has discussed the attacks during short sermons, stressing that killing is always wrong, and members have been praying for the victims.
Source: www.northjersey.com