Six time NBA champion and league Most Valuable Player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke out about the terrorist attacks in Paris this week, saying violent acts committed in the name of religion have no connection to the peaceful Islamic faith.
“Violence committed in the name of religion is never about religion—it’s ultimately about money. […] Forget the goons who actually carry out these deadly acts, they are nothing more than automated drones remote-controlled by others. Instead of radio signals, their pilots use selective dogma to manipulate their actions. They pervert the Qur’an through omission and false interpretation,” Mr. Abdul-Jabbar said in an op-ed for Time on Friday.
Mr. Abdul-Jabbar, now a film-maker and author, addressed the series of terrorist attacks in Paris this week, calling the gunmen “thugs disguising themselves as Muslims.”
Mr. Abdul-Jabbar, who converted to Islam after meeting his now ex-wife Habiba, condemned the attacks but insisted that the killings were in no way related to Islam.
“When the Klu Klux Klan burn a cross in a black family’s yard, prominent Christians aren’t required to explain how these aren’t really Christian acts,” he wrote. “Most people already realize that the KKK doesn’t represent Christian teachings… I look forward to the day when an act of terrorism by self-proclaimed Muslims will be universally dismissed as nothing more than a criminal attack of a thuggish political organization wearing an ill-fitting Muslim mask.”
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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