8/8/11, Letter to Editor, Roanoke Times

Recently, Norway experienced a tragedy the likes of which the U.S. experienced in Oklahoma in 1995. A homegrown religious extremist, Anders Breivik, killed nearly 80 of his fellow countrymen to "defend" Norway's Christian identity.

As a member of a peaceful and law-abiding community, the Ahmadiyya Muslim movement, I know how it feels to see violent extremists associate their behavior to one's religion.

It is time to recognize that just as Christian extremists do not speak for Jesus Christ, similarly Muslim extremists also do not speak for the Prophet Muhammad.

Men like Breivik reflect a perverted mind-set -- not any religion. To fight such mind-sets, it is critical to build bridges across communities and enhance respectful dialogue among religions and cultures.

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