My faith teaches love for all. New Orleans attacker doesn’t represent Islam | Opinion

The New Orleans attacker who plunged a pickup truck into people and killed many innocent souls on New Year’s Day apparently had the Quran in his home. There are news reports speculating what this means for Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s faith and his motive.



As a Muslim-American, I believe that Jabbar may have owned a copy of the Quran, but I believe he was completely bereft of its meaning. Jabbar and people like him, who adhere to extremist ideologies, have nothing to do with any faith. In fact, as a Muslim, I believe all faiths teach good moral values. I also believe that there are misguided souls among any religion. People like Jabbar use religion to justify their heinous motives. In reality, their actions are the furthest thing from any faith or creed.



A Quranic passage that Jabbar had reportedly opened is this: “Surely, Allah has purchased of the believers their persons and their property in return for the Garden they shall have; they fight in the cause of Allah, and they slay and are slain — an unfailing promise that He has made incumbent on Himself in the Torah and the Gospel, and the Quran. And who is more faithful to his promise than Allah? Rejoice then, in your bargain which you have made with Him; and that it is which is the supreme triumph,” (9:111).



Some can look at the above verse and certainly manipulate its meaning to suit their motives. However, if you look at the verse closely, you can see that it is talking about common themes that are found in many religions: self-reformation and charity. People who strive in the way of God, by reforming themselves and spending from that which God has granted them, will have divine favours.



The part of the verse that talks about those that “slay and are slain” has a historical context. Those who are familiar with the early Islamic history will note that Muslims who accepted Islam faced an onslaught of challenges from different tribes in Arabia. Many wars were waged in self-defense. Muslims were commanded to defend themselves to protect their property and their family.



I wish Jabbar and others like him would pay more attention to the Quran. There are countless verses that talk about peace and good morals. There is one that is particularly emphatic about the sacredness of human life. “Whosoever killed a person — unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder in the land — it shall be as if he had killed all mankind…” (5:33). Jabbar killed 14 innocent people and maimed dozens more. According to Islam, this is a barbaric crime. Murdering innocent people goes against every Islamic principle.



Jabbar was a grossly misguided individual. Perhaps, he had mental health issues. But because he is a Muslim, his faith has become more prominent in the news.

I wish we paid more attention to the root causes of extremism rather than pointing to faiths. Extremism can be found among any group of people. Extremists can use faith to justify their actions, but they are not true representatives of that faith.



Millions of Muslims in America coexist peacefully with people of other faiths. In fact, Muslims believe in principles of charity and neighborliness. I belong to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, which does charity work all over the world. We also host interfaith events multiple times a year and invite people of different faiths to come and learn about Islam. The motto of our community is “Love for all, hatred for none.”



Jabbar and a few extremists like him cannot erase the beautiful teachings of Islam. His actions only show a diseased mind. My heart goes out to the victims of the New Orleans tragedy. May the families of the deceased find peace and patience to bear this heartbreaking loss.