On Sunday morning a man opened fire at a gay night club in Orlando, killing at least 49 people. The gunman was a 29-year-old man of Afghani descent, Omar Mateen. It was later reported that he had called 911 before his attack and pledged allegiance to ISIS ("Gunman who killed 50 in Orlando club was questioned by FBI in recent years," June 12).
As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the U.S., we send our deepest regards and prayers to all those affected by this senseless and barbaric atrocity. As a community we are angered and saddened for the loss of innocent lives in the name of Islam.
This barbaric act of ruthlessness and injustice is in no way associated with the religion of Islam. The Holy Qur'an clearly states that "whosoever killed a person it shall be as if he had killed all mankind."
This attack was not only inhumane but also wholly un-Islamic. Islam is a religion which promotes peace; it does not in any way call for killing gay people.
The true religion of Islam commands all Muslims to be engaged in worship during this holy month of Ramadhan. Even arguments are forbidden, let alone mass murder.
All the leaders of the Muslim world need to unite under one slogan: Love for All, Hatred for None. And they must disassociate themselves from every type of terrorism and inhumane act.
The Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community states that "if a person does not follow a particular teaching properly whilst claiming to subscribe to it, then it is he who is in error, not the teaching.
From cover to cover, the Holy Qur'an teaches love, affection, peace, reconciliation and the spirit of sacrifice. Anyone who portrays Islam as an extreme and violent religion filled with teachings of bloodshed has no link with the real Islam.
Talha Ahmed, Columbia