Baghdad Attacks Bring Condemnation
By: Qasim Rashid

On Nov. 1, in Baghdad, Iraq, al-Qaida militants killed 58 innocent Christians as they peacefully worshipped. As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I condemn this attack as inhumane, cowardly, and completely un-Islamic. To call the perpetrators filthy animals would be an insult to animals.

Contrary to the behavior of these despicable individuals, Prophet Muhammad championed complete religious freedom while emphatically condemning violence. In a letter that survives to this day, Muhammad wrote to the St. Catherine's Monastery in Mount Sinai, "Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend [Christians], because Christians are my citizens; and by God I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them . . . Their churches are to be respected . . . No one of the [Muslims] is to disobey the covenant till the [end of the world]."

I sincerely hope the Iraqi government is swift in bringing the responsible party to justice. My prayers are for the departed and their families. May God give them strength and comfort in this time of great trial.