Simply an act of terror

Sunday’s attack against a nightclub in Orlando, in which 50 people were killed and 53 injured, is deplorable.

But despite the declared religion of the perpetrator, it should not be used as ammunition against Muslims, for electoral or other purposes or agendas.

It was a horrible act of terror that the Muslim community in the US condemned in the strongest terms, along with the governments of many Muslim countries around the world, including Jordan.

It was an attack against unarmed civilians who were shot indiscriminately by someone reportedly sympathising with Daesh terrorist group, who thought it was his duty to punish the gay community represented by those present in the bar.

To start with, Daesh is the number one enemy of Muslims and of Islam. It killed tens of thousands of innocent Muslims in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere, and it has terrorised, enslaved and maimed many others.

Muslims have been the group’s top target and victims, hence the effort by Muslim countries to be active members of the 60-state global coalition attempting to defeat it.

The group, which declares itself a state despite the fact that it has not been recognised as such by any party anywhere, and which wrongfully describes itself as Islamic, while committing acts that contravene Islam, has been targeting all Muslim countries around it as well as many Muslims and non-Muslims around the world.

It is sad that some still believe Daesh represents Islam. It is sad that by the merit of its name, the so-called Islamic State, the group attracts individuals from around the world, revealing a vacuum that has to be filled by those who represent true Islam.

This attraction also reveals shortcomings in addressing the ideological part of the global war on terror, and the need to have the powers that can address it to adequately focus more on this dimension.

Muslims, who number around 1.7 billion, constitute almost a quarter of the world’s population, and the acts of a small minority do not represent them, just like the acts of Adolph Hitler and the KKK racist group do not represent the teachings of Christianity.

The vast majority of Muslims live in peace in their societies, whether in the Muslim world or outside it, contributing to the progress and prosperity of their societies.

They should be treated as such by the media, politicians and their communities.