March 22, 2016 – The Jewish Community of Louisville is horrified at the events that took place this morning in Brussels. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, the injured, and all the citizens of Belgium. We join the rest of the world in issuing our strongest condemnation with our hope that the perpetrators of these acts will swiftly be brought to justice.
Unfortunately what happened today in Brussels is just the most recent horrifying example of terrorist acts carried out in the name of a peaceful religion. Whether it is in Brussels, or Paris, or Istanbul, or Tel Aviv, these attacks are meant to sow fear, to intimidate, and to divide us. While we condemn in the strongest terms the terrorists and organizations behind these attacks, we must also build bridges with those who, like us, stand for freedom and peace.
We must also remember that radical terrorists do not speak for our peace-loving friends in the Muslim community. Dr. Muhammad Babar of the Louisville Islamic Center issued the following statement this morning in response to these attacks:
In these times of stress and helplessness, we need to remind ourselves the lives of Moses, Jesus, Prophet Muhammad and all the other sacred ones (peace be upon them) who faced adversity with godly resolve and humility and let compassion determine the outcome rather than hatred. We should stand tall as Homo sapiens who will not be held hostage by both terrorists and hate mongers.
We may not change the whole world but could continue to strive to keep our own communities away from extremists and terrorists, no matter which creed they belong to.
