COLORADO SPRINGS — One Muslim leader in Colorado Springs is speaking out about his perspective on the Israel-Hamas war as over a thousand people are reported dead in Israel and Gaza.
Ibrahim Khan with the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs said the attacks by Hamas, the Islamist group considered a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, do not represent his beliefs or the way he believes Islam should be practiced.
"A lot of us are sad because of how many innocent lives have been lost. This is not tolerated under the religion of Islam and we see the things that are going on out there. It is very devastating because it goes against our principles," said Khan.
He said worship at the mosque has continued the same, but said there is a feeling of sadness among their community.
"There's a difference between extremist behavior and what Islam teaches us," Khan said.
He said a misunderstanding of Islam is often what causes people to fear Muslims when extremist groups commit acts of terror. He said his parents and many other Muslims experienced hostility after 9/11 because of the generalizations that the attacks represented the beliefs of all Muslims.
"There was a lot of hate against Muslims, against Islam, and I think a lot of it is because people did not know, or they do not know what Islam is and what we stand for," he said. "We're not against any religion. We support living together whether they are from any different religion or whether they are from any different race."
Jeffrey Scholes, the Chair of the Department of Philosophy at UCCS, said these kinds of generalizations can happen to members of any religion and can be dangerous.
"There certainly are people within all the major world religions that do believe that violence is justified as a part of their faith. But the vast majority of members of these major world religions do not believe that, including Islam."
He also said the Israel-Hamas war is about much more than just religion. He said years of conflict over geography, politics, and economics are at play and the war cannot be simplified down to Muslims against Jews.
President Biden has made it clear that the United States stands with Israel. However, during a speech on Friday, he acknowledged the plight of thousands of Palestinians, a majority of whom practice Islam.
"We can't lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas and Hamas' appalling attacks," said Biden.
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