ISIL Has Nothing to Do with Islam: Florida State University’s Muslim Students
The verse (5:32) reads: “Whoever kills an innocent life, it is as if he has killed all of humanity. And whoever saves one life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity”
“In light of the Paris attack, we, as Muslims, are just trying to reach out to the general public and explain that despite their name, ISIS (ISIL) has absolutely nothing to do with Islam,” says Lamia Arafa, a senior at FSU.
ISIL “can call themselves whatever they want, but they are not representative of Islam whatsoever,” adds Morgan Flake, a junior.
ISIL members set off coordinated attacks in Paris on Friday night, killing at least 130 people. On Wednesday, according to authorities, a “fierce firefight” with suspected terrorists holed up in a suburban Paris apartment ended with at least two suspects killed and an imminent attack thwarted, USA Today reported.
“In fact,” Arafa says, “Islam completely forbids their actions. It’s not just disagreement, Islam absolutely, completely 100% prohibits their actions. They’re using a religion to justify an action that’s completely forbidden by that religion.”
And while she says she believes many Americans understand that ISIL is not representative of Islamic ideals, they wanted to “come out and articulate the true message of Islam in a warm, compassionate, Islamic way.”
