veiled4allah: Arab views on the Russian hostage crisis

The BBC has a page of quotes from various Middle Eastern newspapers condemning the hostage taking in Beslan in Russia and the horrific end to the stand-off. Here are some:

A lesson in terror at a children's school - What happened at the ill-fated school is not only unjustifiable and unacceptable, it also provokes anger and revulsion among Muslim public opinion, since it tarnishes the name of all Muslims and distorts the image of our noble faith. -Jordan's Al-Dustur

An ugly crime against humanity - What happened at the Russian school is a reprehensible crime against the whole of humanity and the perpetrators should be called to account.

-Egypt's Al-Ahram

These children and their teachers had committed no crime to justify their lives being endangered and their blood shed. If this terrorist group had chosen a Russian military barracks, their cause - if they had one at all - would have been more credible and many would have sympathised with them. What happened is the absolute opposite: the world reacted to the crisis with humanity, and the only loser is the side to which they [the hostage-takers] belong.

-Saudi Arabia's Al-Watan

Curiously, the Iranian commentary is more focused on the actions taken by the Russian government, which admittedly are open to some question as well. But nothing excuses taking children as hostages, for God's sake. In what delusion did this people think this could be justified? Al-Watan has hit the nail on the head with the statement that the children and their teachers had done nothing wrong. This is the moral concept at the very heart of the Islamic ban on targeting civilians. To kill someone without right or justification when they had done no wrong is a heinous act of murder, a single act of which will send the perpetrator to Hell forever. To cause the death of 300 children - my mind shudders at the very thought. Will these people not fear Allah?

Added: More reactions from the Muslim world here. Best quote: If all the enemies of Islam united and decided to harm it... they wouldn't have ruined and harmed its image as much as the sons of Islam have done by their stupidity, miscalculations and misunderstanding. [Horrifying images of the dead and wounded students] showed Muslims as monsters who are fed by the blood of children and the pain of their families.

Further: A similar article here.

And: Also a similar story here. This isn't the first time Muslims have spoken up against terrorism? Will people finally listen?

Still more: Closer to home, here are some words from Minnesota Muslims:

Dozens of Muslim organizations in Minnesota stepped forward Tuesday to denounce the killings of at least 350 people, including children, in the southern Russian town of Beslan. "Those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are destroying innocent lives and betraying the values of the faith they claim to represent," said a statement released by Fedwa Wazwaz of Brooklyn Park on behalf of 10 Muslim organizations including the Islamic Resource Group where she is a speaker.

"We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts," Hamdy El-Sawaf, executive director of the Islamic Center of Minnesota, said in a separate statement on behalf of the Muslim Organizations of Minnesota, which he coordinates. "No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam."

In addition to offering prayers and condolences, several Minnesota Muslim groups are contacting relief agencies to offer assistance to the Russian families, said Mohamad Elmasry, Minneapolis, of the Muslim American Society.