It was with horror last night as we watched the tragedy unfold in Pakistan yesterday. This shocking act of senseless violence was done during the holy month of Ramadan, when people were sitting in the restaurant breaking their fast. These acts do nothing but perpetuate a continuing cycle of senselessness.
I remember when the Grand Hyatt in Amman was bombed a few years ago. Some friends of ours had been at the very hotel earlier in the day, and had left (Thank God) prior to the bombing. The accused was supposedly a member of the Iraq AlQaeda (you never know what to believe nowadays). If the perpetrator was a Muslim or claimed to be one, he committed a crime against all of humanity and one that took the life of a very special person. Director Mustafa Akkad was one of the victims. While he is more well known for his work on the Halloween movies, he was the man who put Islam in a favorable light to the world through the mainstream media. His films, the Message and Lion of the Dessert, starring Anthony Quinn and others, bore a positive and accurate message about our faith, amidst dozens and dozens of Islamophobic propoganda productions put out by hollywood. He was working on a new movie about Saladin (Salah Al Din Al Ayubi), the liberator of Palestine and noble leader in the crusades. He is quoted to have said prior to his unfortunate demise:
" ...Saladin exactly portrays Islam. Right now, Islam is portrayed as a terrorist religion. Because a few terrorists are Muslims, the whole religion has that image. If there ever was a religious war full of terror, it was the Crusades. But you can't blame Christianity because a few adventurers did this. That's my message."
May God have mercy on the souls of the innocent victims. May God show us the truth about these acts, and hold the perpetrators accountable both in this life and the hereafter. May God prevent further such acts from being committed, and unite our world in peace and harmony.