SILVER SPRING, Md. — Arshad Qureshi describes his reaction when he heard about the murders of 12 people at the offices of the French journal Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
“It was horror,” Qureshi says. “Any civilized human being would be horrified” by the actions of the two gunmen who cut down their victims shouting “Allahu Akbar!” (“God is Great”).
Qureshi , the chair of the Board of Trustees at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, says the attackers in the Paris killings “have hijacked the name of Islam.” In a statement issued Thursday, the center called the murders in Paris “barbaric” and “heinous.”
Qureshi says Muslims in Montgomery County have enjoyed good relations with the community at large, but when terrorists claiming a connection to Islam carry out violence, members of the Muslim faith can experience tension. The center in Silver Spring has been active since 1973.
“We have had a few minor issues earlier on, but nothing lately,” says Qureshi.
The statement from the Muslim Community Center does mention freedom of speech and how that freedom can clash with “the deeply held sensibilities of others.” But Qureshi is quick to say that should not be taken in any way as an endorsement of violent attacks like the one that took place in Paris.
Referring to the murders at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, the statement from the MCC concludes: “Once again, the MCC (The Muslim Community Center) completely rejects [these] extremist ideologies used to attack the freedom of speech.”
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
