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Sheikh Ahmad Ghanem said in a Friday sermon at the Göteborg Mosque in Gothenburg, Sweden on March 15, 2019 following the Christchurch mosque massacre that he condemns all acts of terrorism regardless of the perpetrator's background and that people who express solidarity for terrorists are outside the realm of humanity. He warned his congregation to be wary of reckless people who want to take revenge, saying that such people are one of the reasons that the NZ massacre happened in the first place. Sheikh Ghanem also asked his congregants who will be interviewed by the media to speak in a calm and proper fashion and to ask the politicians and the media to stop spreading hatred and distorting the image of Muslims.
Following are excerpts:
Imam Ahmad Ghanem: Today, humanity was assailed in an abhorrent scene [in New Zealand] – a scene that I cannot find the words to describe, my brothers.
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We condemn terrorism regardless of who the perpetrator is – regardless of whether his name is Ali or Saleh, or James or John, or any other name. A terrorist is a terrorist, regardless of whether he claims to be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, or a Buddhist. We do not justify any terrorist act, and we do not seek to find any excuses for its perpetrators. Those who express solidarity with any terrorist act are outside the realm of humanity, and outside the realm of the general principles of Islam.
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We have condemned in the past – from this very pulpit – all terrorist acts, even if they are committed by people who claim to act according to the commandments of Islam. We condemn this crime. We view an attack on a mosque the same way we view an attack on a church. Attacking peaceful and innocent worshippers is forbidden under any circumstances. We must beware of reckless people who say: "Let's do to them what they did to us. Let's take revenge." Such people are one of the causes of the tragedy that is befalling us now.
[..]
The media has been here since early in the morning. TV reporters are going to ask you questions after the prayers. I ask of those who are going to be interviewed to answer well: not emotionally, not in anger, not recklessly, not irresponsibly. [We should say:] "Yes, I'm sad. I condemn this criminal act, but I am not a hater. I hate the perpetrator and the act itself but I do not spread hatred. I am a citizen of this country, and I demand that the politicians take a stand. They must support and protect our mosques and take them into consideration. I demand that the people in the media be more objective and stop the campaigns that distort the image of the Muslims and spread hatred." Such campaigns are one of the causes of the crime [in Christchurch]. We are killed by ink even before we are killed by bullets – we are hanged on the pages of the newspapers before we are killed in real life.
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