Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Virginia Tech Massacre Reflects American Philosophy of Violence. The Americans Kept Quiet about It Since the Shooter Was Not a Muslim

Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi in Qatar, which aired on Qatar TV on April 20, 2007.

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: The thing I detest most is unjustified bloodshed. I even felt great pain at what happened in America. An armed student killed 33 fellow students. What is this? This is the philosophy of violence, the outcome of violent films, the outcome of the violence used by America. America has made force the decisive factor in everything, and it uses its power to force peoples to do as it wishes. This philosophy has left its mark. We see in the schools of America... Even in high schools and junior high schools, we see youth who kill their fellow students. In that university, we saw that someone killed all those fellow students of his - and for no comprehensible reason. What is this? It is the philosophy of violence, which was instilled in these people. This philosophy of materialism and permissiveness does not instill in them religion, faith, moral values, compassion, or brotherhood. Instead, it instills in them selfishness and violence, and makes the rifle or the machine-gun rule supreme. This is the philosophy of American civilization, which it bequeaths to its sons.

I wondered, when this incident took place, and when they said that 33 people had been killed at a university... I said that I wish I knew who the killer was. My heart was filled with fear, but I realized that they were not saying anything. They knew who it was right from the start. When they realized it was a South Korean, they kept silent. What would have happened if it had been an Arab or a Muslim? If it had been an Arab Muslim who had killed 3 people - not 33 - what would have happened? The world would have turned upside-down. There would have been commotion and turmoil, and all hell would have broken loose. But since he is neither an Arab nor a Muslim, they accepted it somewhat quietly. They did not talk about it much. This is what is called a double standard. A double standard, a triple standard, or even more... That's America for you.