Press Release on the shooting of a young Pakistani girl, Malala Yousufzai
The BC Muslim Association would like to express its sympathy and prayers for a young Muslim sister who was the target of a brutal shooting. Malala Yousufzai, now in critical condition and struggling for recovery, is a 14 year old who received the National Children’s Peace Prize while endeavouring to win rights of education for women in her region of Pakistan. In an attempt to assassinate this innocent child, the would-be murderers shot her in the head while she was in a van with her schoolmates, on the way home from school. This heinous act displays a complete disregard of human life and the laws of the world, and is a bold defiance of the laws of Islam.
We join hands with the international community, as well as Muslim scholars and organizations worldwide in denouncing this crime, and calling for the perpetrators to be apprehended and punished to the fullest extent of the law.
The Quran states emphatically:
“… He who killed a single soul –unless in retribution for murder or spreading corruption on earth- is as if he killed all humankind; and he who saves a life is as if he saved all humankind…” (5:32)
“And do not take life which God has forbidden save by right…” (17:33)
We hope that this young sister, whose work has become a source of inspiration for many girls, recovers speedily, regains her health, and is able to live a fulfilling life.
Musa Ismail
President
BC Muslim Association