Earlier this morning, the news media reported that attacks occurred in Brussels, Belgium, in which more than 30 people were killed and many more injured. It is widely reported that ISIS/ISIL has claimed responsibility for the attacks and that the attacks are in retaliation for the arrest of one or more of the perpetrators of the November 2015 Paris attacks. The Islamic Society of Milwaukee unequivocally condemns this morning’s attacks and offers its condolences to the victims and their families and loved ones.

The Islamic Society of Milwaukee reiterates that those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the faith they claim to represent. No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam. We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts. We refuse to allow our faith to be held hostage by the criminal actions of a tiny minority acting outside the teachings of both the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

The Islamic Society of Milwaukee also is a signatory to the 2005 Islamic Religious Edict Against Terrorism, which also states in part that, “It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.” The incongruity between this principle and the fact that this morning’s attacks were carried out at least in part in retaliation for the investigation and apprehension of those responsible for the Paris attacks, which the Islamic Society of Milwaukee also condemned, is noteworthy. We say again that we pray for law enforcement to apprehend all of those responsible for the Paris and Brussels attacks and for the safety of all.