(WASHINGTON DC - August 10, 2021) At a press conference hosted by CAIR that was held on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, Rahat Husain, representing the Shia Muslim Foundation, described the murders as acts of anti-Shia hatred and emphasized the "love and friendship" between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the United States. He emphasized the need to address any anti-Shia hatred and to work towards greater understanding and unity within the Muslim community.
On August 6, 2021, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) increased its reward for information leading to the perpetrator of the fourth murder, which occurred overnight on August 5, to $10,000. In response to the news that the main suspect is also Muslim, Sunnis and Shias in the United States are coming together to promote understanding and unity between the two communities.
Speaking at the press conference, Rahat Husain, with the Maryland-based Shia Muslim Foundation, described the murders as anti-Shia hatred.
He emphasised, however, the "love and friendship" between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the US that he described as a model and something that isn't always seen around the world. "We cannot let this incident or any other incident harm or destroy that love and that respect we have for one another,” said Husain. He added that any anti-Shia hatred needs to be addressed.
Imam Johari Abdulmalik, a member of the CAIR National Board, told The New Arab: "An attack on people, to murder people senselessly, just because their religious understanding is different than yours puts one under the purview that CAIR has an obligation to stand up and say to the community: We will not be divided with a capital W, meaning we as Americans, as citizens, as neighbours, as people of faith, and then what our faith, in particular, calls us to do, which is to say according to the Quran, that life is sacred, saying that if one takes the life of one person unjustly it is as if you had slain all of humanity."
The Shia Muslim Foundation stands united with the Muslim community in condemning all forms of hate and violence, and we call on all individuals and organizations to join us in condemning these crimes and working towards a world where people of all faiths and backgrounds can live in peace and harmony.
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