Lahore bombing a ‘gross deviation’ from Islam’s teaching: Mufti of S’pore

SINGAPORE — The Mufti of Singapore, Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, has written to Archbishop William Goh of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore to express condolences over the Easter Sunday bombing in Lahore, Pakistan.

In the letter dated March 29 and released to the media on Wednesday (March 30), Dr Fatris strongly condemned the attack saying it was “a gross deviation from the inter-religious peace and harmony that is promoted in Islam”. “No attack against another human being for the reason of holding a different faith is justifiable in Islam,” he wrote.

He added: “The bombing is an act of inhumanity and an affront against people who believe in the values of compassion and peaceful co-existence... We should unite to register our clear abhorance of such faithless acts of inhumanity.”

The bombing at a busy park in Lahore claimed at least 72 lives, many of them were women and children of Christian and Muslim faiths.

In response, Archbishop Goh thanked the Mufti for his “solidarity and prayers and sympathy for the victims of the Lahore bombing”. He said: “Islam remains in our eyes, a religion of peace. We are convinced that in spite of the many terrorists acts committed by extremists groups and individuals, most Muslims are God-fearing people who are committed to the promotion of harmony, justice and love. We are fortunate to have our Muslim brothers and sisters in Singapore who walk in this direction and are active in promoting mutual respect for other religions.”

He added that the Church “decries any form of violence against innocent victims, whatever the motivation”. “It behooves governments to ensure the protection of all peoples, regardless of race or religious affiliations, particularly the weak and the minorities,” he said.