INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Statement by the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, 09/14/2001
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For Immediate Release The faculty members of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University have been watching with shock and horror the news reports about the vicious hijacking of the airliners that were used to attack targets in New York and Washington, D.C. We are outraged at this act of cowardly violence, condemn those responsible and are certain that the U.S. government will find and punish all those connected with this immoral act. We offer our deepest condolences to those who have suffered because of this violence. As members of the Indiana University faculty involved in the study of Middle Eastern religions and civilization, in the teaching of history and cultures of the Muslim world in general and the Middle East in particular, we state categorically that these violent acts are in no way justifiable by reference to Muslim religious beliefs and practices. Islam, like all other world religions, forbids suicide and those committing suicide cannot be buried in consecrated ground or given a Muslim funeral prayer. Therefore, we would like to stress that there is no room for martyrdom in Islam by means of homicide, suicide or the harming of innocent people. Islam also stresses individual moral responsibility-i.e., that the innocent cannot be blamed or punished for the sins of others. Furthermore, extremist fringe elements with misguided understanding of religious beliefs should not be labeled "fundamentalist," as they are often lunatics bringing nothing but harm to the religious communities with whom they claim affinity. (These facts have been made clear in statements of condemnation by the highest Islamic religious authority-the Supreme Imam of Al-Azhar University, in Cairo, Egypt- and all Muslim and Arab organizations in the US). Those who perpetrated the hijacking of the airliners, whatever their identities and affiliations may be, have hijacked not only those four airplanes and their innocent passengers, but also more than 1.2 billion peaceful Muslim believers world wide, and as a result have victimized Muslim societies and civilization forever. We commend the cautious approach of the U.S. government and many media representatives in distinguishing between the desperate elements who may have committed these crimes and the masses of peaceful Muslims citizens of the United States and beyond. We are also impressed by the reports of care and compassion shown by countless Americans towards their American Muslim neighbors, friends, co-workers and acquaintances during this period of communal sorrow. As educators we hope that this tragedy which has brought the peoples of the United States together in an unprecedented manner, will also offer the opportunity to combat the unjust socioeconomic and political conditions that breed extremism in other parts of the world, especially in the Middle East. It is also our hope that this tragedy will bring about greater education and understanding of shared values between world religious communities and civilizations, especially those of Islamic and Western civilizations rooted in Abrahamic religious traditions. Signed for the Faculty of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Culture:
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