A Crazy Terrorist Cannot Be Linked to Any Religion

After the shooting in California that killed 14 people, the American police shot and killed the two suspected attackers, a husband and wife who were both Muslims. Syed Rizwan Farook, the son of a Pakistani immigrant, was born in the U.S., whereas Tashfeen Malik was born in Pakistan and, prior to her marriage, was residing in Saudi Arabia. They were married over two years ago and they have a six-month-old daughter whom they left with her paternal grandmother during the shooting.

A terrorist has no religion. The two brutal events that occurred recently in France and in the U.S. were condemned universally the world over. Psycho cases can be found in any religion; this can have no relevance to the birthplace of their parents and ancestors. Killings take place the world over, particularly in America and Europe, and dozens of people have been murdered at the hands of crazy individuals who were not Muslims. Their actions are not seen as being linked to their religion; however, when the perpetrators of such brutal crimes have Muslim names, then the blame for the brutal attack is automatically laid at the door of Muslims as a whole.

The U.S., and the rest of the Western world, should see the killing of those 14 people in California as the actions of crazy and unstable criminals. The U.S. also needs to make reforms to laws relating to arms. At present, the most modern and deadly weapons are legally and easily available.

Meanwhile, in France, too, the government is targeting Muslims in the wake of the terrorist attack. Three mosques have been closed down and the closing of an additional 160 mosques is under consideration. It is natural that shutting down mosques in such large numbers will create restlessness among Muslims and could hurt interfaith harmony — which is not in anybody’s best interest. In fact, terrorists could use this for furthering their own objectives.