This is probably as good a place as anywhere to share, but it’s worth pointing out the reaction in much of the Muslim world to the 9/11 attacks. For example, in Iran 60,000 people paused for a moment of silence in a football stadium. The Ayatollah Imami Kashani spoke of a catastrophic act of terrorism which could only be condemned by all Muslims, adding that the whole world should mobilise against terrorism. People held spontaneous candlelit vigils for the victims:
In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak vehemently denounced the attacks, and there were more expressions of grief and solidarity:
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Palestinians came together to express their condemnation of the attacks, and even the spiritual leader of Hamas harshly condemned them while criticising the US position in the region. Yasser Arafat and many others gave blood and many Palestinian students stood in silence for five minutes:
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Kuwatis gathered at their local Red Crescent hoping to donate blood.
Bangladeshis expressed their solidarity too:
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Pakistan:
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi called the attacks “horrifying” and urged Muslim aid groups to offer help “regardless of political considerations or differences between America and the peoples of the world.”
Clerics in mosques in countries like Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Libya and Sudan expressed their condemnation of the “cowardly” and “un-Islamic” attacks.
While there were some celebrations (which often weren’t as genuine as they appeared and happened in places with existing political grievances against America), these are often the picture people got of the response. The truth is not difficult to find. The fact that some people can look at a tragedy like this crane collapse and express anything but grief due to the religion of the victims says a lot about their lack of humanity, and nothing about Islam.
