In Response to Garland, Texas Attack, ING and Affiliates Re-Affirm Fundamental Values

In response to the attack on an anti-Islam event yesterday in Garland, Texas, ING and its Affiliates nationwide join fellow Americans and American Muslims in reiterating that no words, insults, grievances, or beliefs justify such acts of violence. Responding to insults by those who seek to provoke serves only those who seek to defame Islam and Muslims.

It is significant to note that this event was a non-starter for the majority of people in the area, including local Muslims; nor was it a focus of protests or social media campaigns locally, nationally, or globally. A light-hearted response by the brother of a recent victim of hate in fact focused upon the positive side of such events, while shining a light on Islamic principles that are not well known to the general public. In response to the attacks, The American Muslim is republishing its statement upholding freedom of speech signed by American Muslim religious leaders and activists.

We all have a choice about how to communicate and learn about other’s faiths, and we can do so in the pluralistic manner envisioned by our Founding Fathers, whose vision of religious liberty included Muslims. We invite all Americans to find constructive ways to learn and dialogue about each others’ faiths, including holding an interfaith event, organizing an interfaith service project, or opening your house of worship to other faiths.

At ING we invite you to participate in our upcoming events, review our religious principles below and discover answers to general Frequently Asked Questions About Islam and Muslims as well as Frequently Asked Questions about Sharia and ISIS.

1. We affirm and uphold the sanctity of all human life, the taking of which is among the gravest of all sins.
2. We affirm the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and speech.
3. We affirm the right to security in one’s livelihood, profession, and residence.
4. We believe that God created us with all the diversity of race, religion, language, and belief to get to know one another, not to despise or hate one another.
5. We believe that Islam is above all a religion of peace and mercy, and that Muslims are obligated to model those traits in their lives and characters and to work for the good of our homeland and society, wherever that might be.

ING and ING Affiliates

May 4, 2015