Advocacy Group Denies Failed Terrorist Attacks Have Anything To Do With Islam

“We cannot overstate the importance of truth in governing Muslim-American relations.”

Washington, October 29 – A prominent organization for Muslims in the US issued a disclaimer today cautioning Americans in general, and journalists in particular, not to conflate violence that fills short of producing a death toll in the name of Islam with violence that succeeds in producing a death toll in the name of Islam. Rather, the organization asserts, only violence that achieves the purpose of killing infidels qualifies as Islamic.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a statement Tuesday that aimed to dispel what it characterized as unhealthy or biased assumptions regarding the Islamic faith stemming from ignorant or mendacious coverage of terrorist attacks whose perpetrators or backers claim to act in the name of Muhammad or his religious system. To that end, a spokesman noted, the group released the statement to the effect that referring to failed attacks – defined as attacks that produce no dead infidels – in any way that implies or outright establishes a connection between the attacks and Islam distorts the faith’s teachings and sows discord.

CAIR Deputy Director Behedd Diquffar told reporters the group felt compelled to issue its statement following numerous instances in recent months in which sloppy or hostile reporting has resulted in the use of phrases such as “an Islamist extremist attack” or “failed Islamist terrorist attack” in reference to incidents that killed no non-believers, and in several cases killed only the perpetrator.

“We cannot have Americans walking around with a faulty, distorted picture of Islam,” stated Diquffar. “Associating operations that fail to kill infidels will not produce an accurate picture of what Islam represents or demands. Any link between incompetence, misfortune, or, Allah forbid, a superior foe, and jihadi martyrs or aspiring martyrs, risks undermining the intimidation and dominance that plays such a central role in the authentic Islamic view of relations with unbelievers.”

“We cannot overstate the importance of truth in governing Muslim-American relations,” he continued. “Any social, political, or other relations between Muslim Americans and non-Muslim Americans must take place on a firm foundation of truth, the basis for trust – and thus for any relationship. It will not do to have infidels behaving and thinking in ways that reflect an incorrect understanding of their Muslim neighbors’ true faith, least of all if such thinking includes the misapprehension that Allah condones failure in any way. Otherwise they might continue to think it’s just fine to continue being unholy infidels because Allah is forgiving and accepting. The sword that strikes them down will not come from Allah if it fails to dispatch them.”

Please support our work through Patreon.