3/12/2012 - Press Release

Release Date: 3/12/2012 12:00:00 AM
The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) is profoundly shocked and saddened by news of the killing of 16 Afghan civilians by an American soldier.  "Our prayers and heartfelt condolences go to the victims and their families, as we ask the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to investigate this incident and hold any perpetrator responsible for this violence fully accountable under the law" said ADAMS President Farooq Syed.   "We remind our community, and all the people of Afghanistan, that the acts of an individual must not derail larger efforts to maintain peace and stability in Afghanistan.":

ADAMS has worked closely with the US DoD to seek an end to violence and call for peace and nonviolence during the recent unintentional Quran burning at Bagram base, and we now appeal to both Afghan authorities, civilians and the U.S. military to maintain composure and peace.  This loss of life is of the utmost gravity to all people of faith, and we all must ensure that acts which threaten to destroy years of effort devoted to helping the Afghan people do not hamper the path to peace and security.

We commend Secretary Panetta's intention to "spare no effort in getting facts as quickly as possible" and to "hold any perpetrator responsible for this violence fully accountable under the law".  We thank our military forces for their years of dedication toward assisting the Afghan people despite the many challenges faced, and are confident justice will be done and the well-being of innocent Afghan civilians will be foremost in the mission of ISAF. While this aberrant incident does not change the overall positive intentions of U.S. armed forces, we hope that such tragic and all inadvertent acts of violence by U.S. servicemen do not threaten stability and security or erode support for the ISAF mission there.

We ask for God to help us to reserve judgment until there is full evidence based on facts and a thorough investigation by the military.  We pray for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan which provides safety and security to all its people. We also pray for the safety of our U.S. Troops and the successful completion of their mission.

God Almighty tells us “Good and wrong cannot be equal; repel wrong with something which is better, and verily he between whom and thyself was enmity may then become as though he had always been a close, true friend." (Quran - 41:34).

In this respect, we ask all people to do take positive actions to honor the innocent lives lost, and to help Afghan civilians in need, by donating to charitable efforts like Islamic Relief and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan:
http://www.irusa.org/countries/afghanistan/  
All Dulles Area Muslim Society(ADAMS) is one of the largest Muslim communities/mosques in the DC Metro Area and in the United States.ADAMS is a non profit 501c(3) Organization. ADAMS serves over 6000 families and has 9 branches in Virginia/DC - (Sterling/Herndon, Tysons Corner, Fairfax, Reston, Ashburn/Leesburg, South Riding, Greater Gainesville, Crystal City, and Washington DC).ADAMS Center is governed by a 13-member democratically elected board of trustees comprising of men and women. ADAMS engages in regular interfaith, government relations, social services, and community service. ADAMS has one of the largest Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Girl Scout programs in the DC Metro area.