(Niagara At Large is pleased to post the following statement from the Islamic community in St. Catharines, Ontario, offering its “sincere condolences to the families of the victims” of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad.)
The Al-Noor Mosque in St. Catharines, Ontario
Niagara, Ontario, November 2015 – “The Islamic Society of St. Catharines (ISSC), a registered Canadian charity located in St. Catharines Ontario, condemns the horrific and despicable terrorist attacks on the innocent lives in Paris taking place on November 13th.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims of terrorism and political violence across the world – but especially this week with the victims in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad. The ISSC, condemns these horrific crimes in the strongest terms possible. Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of those killed and injured and with all of France. There is no justification of any kind for such criminal acts.”
In the hours following the terrorist attacks in Paris this November 13th, a fire was deliberately set in a Mosque in Peterborough, Ontario in what police are now calling a “hate crime.” A website has been set up for those who wish to make a donation to repair the damage to the Mosque. If you are interested, you can visit the following site –https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/4144T7 . And a site for the Peterborough Mosque Community Support at https://www.facebook.com/PTBOMosqueSupport/?pnref=story
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Niagara At Large 
Blaming Islam in general for the actions of a few is like blaming all current Christians for the Crusades. I worked with quite a few Muslims and they are good people, nothing like the idiots in Paris because they are not fanatics.
Fanaticism in any way is the reserve of lunatics. There is nothing in the world worth fanaticism. Only a handful of fanatics can wreak amazing havoc and don’t want to stop until the whole world is under their thumb.
That being said, what group is the biggest perpetrator of terrorism in the world and has been for decades? Three guesses. What I do wish would happen is seeing massive protests by Islam itself against groups like ISIL. Why are they not in the streets EN MASSE? I have seen some but not what I feel is nearly enough. Islam is a massive religion so where are they? Please step up and show the world it can be a religion of peace. It seems the only ones I see are carrying placards proclaiming the doom of western civilization. They MUST police their own and be highly visible if they expect to gain the trust of the doubters and bigots.
Personally, grown ups with imaginary friends scare me and for valid reasons when you see what goes on in the world. Of course religion is often just the excuse for other agendas.
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PS – The fact is, the majority of deaths by far from terrorism have been of Muslims by other Muslims. All the more reason for Islam to stand up to the fanatics.
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Why aren’t Muslims in the street en masse, protesting ISIL?
I can think of a few reasons.
One is that many of the nations in which a majority of the citizens are Muslim don’t happen to be western democracies where mass public protest is not only fairly common, but also — let’s face it, relatively safe, if you look like a white European, that is. That’s why the response of security at the G20, the kettling and the detention of so many Canadians, caused such an outrage—because we’re not used to that kind of repression.
We certainly don’t expect to be shot at. And most of us probably have no experience of being treated as outsiders in the place we now call home. As for Muslim communities in “the west” — yes, they’ve tended to keep pretty quiet, possibly because it seemed safer to be so. And that has suited most of their neighbours, most of the time.
Now, when a heinous group distorts and demonizes their religion for political ends, we expect some sort of mass apology? Why? The behaviour of ISIL has as much to do with them as the actions of white supremacists and neo-Nazis have to do with you or me. Or the burning of mosques or the beating of Moslem mothers taking their kids to school.
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http://iqra.ca/2015/canadian-imams-denounce-isil/
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