By Nicole June
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Islamic Center of Clarksville issued a statement Tuesday regarding the mass shooting that resulted in the deaths of 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, FL.
The statement reads:
“The Islamic Center of Clarksville stands in solidarity with our nation and people around the world in mourning for the loss of lives in Orlando, Florida. We express our unconditional condemnation of the evil act of killing innocent people, a horrendous and cowardly act without any justification. We convey our sympathy and prayers for all of those who have suffered and those family members that have lost their loved ones. The Quran clearly states:
‘If anyone killed an innocent person…it would be as if he killed all of humanity, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all of humanity.’ (Qur’an 5:32)
Our nation must stand with all of humanity in working to end senseless violence and killing. All faiths must stand firm in opposition to these evil acts. In this time of national pain we must avoid demonization and unite to find a solution.”
The center’s spokesperson, Dr. Shabeer Abubucker, works as a psychiatrist for the Community Mental Health Center and provides mental health support for jail inmates.
Abubucker said the Islamic Center tries to be involved in the activities of Clarksville as much as possible. Its members have participated in Rivers and Spires events and the center is represented on the Human Relations Committee.
The local Muslim community gathers at the center to meet their religious responsibilities and assist fellow members in need.
“We try to be a part of the community as much as possible and to be involved in the activities of Clarksville,” Abubucker said.
The Muslim-Americans who are involved with the center stress that their faith does not support violence.
“I think one of the most important things to remember is that all faiths stand in opposition to violence. Islam is no different and the Qur’an is very clear on this fact,” Abubucker said. “We as a nation are really struggling with a great deal of gun related violence, and the Islamic Center of Clarksville stands in solidarity with the rest of the people of America in standing against this kind of gun violence.”
Abubucker believes that many citizens fear the Muslim minority due to a lack of knowledge and biases stemming from negative media coverage.
“There’s an assumption that any time an individual with a Muslim background acts in a violent way it has something to do with the faith. In reality, Muslims are like all other human beings,” he said.
Abubucker said he believes the Orlando shooter was motivated by “a great deal of hate” that was provided to him by ISIS. The Islamic Center wants its fellow citizens to know this is not what their faith is about.
“What I fear is that by legitimizing ISIS as a spokesperson for Islam, what we have inadvertently done is allowed people to assume that the statements they make have something to do with the faith,” Abubucker said. “Folks who have very little knowledge or understanding of the faith will run with that, they’ll allow their anger and their prejudices to become legitimized by a hate filled group that uses the faith of Islam for its own purposes. And in that way it’s unleashed a great deal of violence in the world.”
The Islamic Center of Clarksville is located at 202 Uffelman Dr. and provides a place of worship for the local Islamic community. For more information, call 931-552-6640.
RELATED CONTENT Candlelight vigil held in Clarksville for nightclub shooting victims