Muslim clerics held a vigil in Dearborn, Michigan, Monday night to pray for the family of James Foley and condemn the Islamic State militant group that murdered him.
The small crowd organized by the Michigan Muslim Community Council held candles and signs reading “Muslims against ISIS,” Michigan Radio reported.
“I mean, it’s not just my country. I’m very worried about all the world. It makes me cry a lot, because I see, you know, innocent people [have] died. I have to raise my voice” said Sara Albusaid, who immigrated to Dearborn from Iraq and whose husband and son still reside in the troubled country.
Clerics told the gatherers that Muslims need to publicly stand against any group that commits violence in the name of Islam.
Islamic State fighters are “crazy criminals who are abusing our religion,” said Imam Mohammed Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, the Detroit Free Press reported. “You’re a bunch of gangsters … you’re not Islamic.”
“The beheading of James Foley … is a clear violation of the holy Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad,” said Imam Mustapha Elturk, the paper reported. “ISIS neither represents Islam nor Muslims.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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