An imam has told hundreds of worshippers the “poisonous and deluded” ideology of Isis has nothing to do with the Muslim faith as he remembered the victims of the Tunisian beach massacre, which included Stephen Mellor from Bodmin in Cornwall.
Qari Asim was one of many imams across the UK who dedicated their Friday services to distancing the faith from the “extremists and fanatics” and declaring solidarity with those affected by recent terror attacks around the world.
Mr Asim talked for around an hour about the Muslim response to Isis and the terror threat to more than 800 men at his mosque – the Makkah masjid, in Leeds - which is just a short distance from where the 7/7 bomb factory was found in 2005.
He said: “Our faith has been used to commit terror.
“Isil’s ideology is a poisonous and deluded ideology. It has nothing to do with faith. But the problem, the dilemma, the Muslim community has is that those hate preachers – they are kidnapping, they are hijacking, they are manipulating, they are indoctrinating young people from the Muslim community.”
Mr Asim said: “So although it’s got nothing to do with our faith and we are at the forefront of fighting against extremism, we also want to make sure that not even one more young person is manipulated, brainwashed, indoctrinated by these hate preachers.
“We can only do that if we stand united against all sorts off extremism, fascism and fanaticism.”
Mr Asim, who is also the senior editor of Imams Online, said Muslims had to confront the dilemma of their faith being hijacked by extremists while at the same time tackling the negative perceptions of Islam that have arisen in the UK.
He paid tribute to victims of recent terrorism in Tunisia, France, Kuwait and Sudan. And he made particular reference to Christopher and Sharon Bell – the only victims of the Tunisian attack from Leeds.
He said: “Today, Muslims across the country, mosques across the country are dedicating their Friday service to remembering the victims of terrorist attacks around the globe, in particular the victims of the terrorist attacks in Tunisia.
“We are remembering all those who lost their lives and we are showing solidarity to the survivors. And we pray for peace. Peace is something that’s part of our faith.”
He said: “We are also remembering this is the 10th anniversary of 7/7. So it’s a very sombre time. We are very proud of the fact that we did not let terrorists win then and we will not let them win now. We will only do so if we stay united and strong.
“These terrorists, these extremists and fanatics, they have no regard for any faith, for God, for human beings, for human values. They are on a killing spree and any attack on Britain or British people abroad is an attack on Muslims because we are part and parcel of this great society.”