Statement by the Board of the International Quranic Center

on the Hateful Speech against Muslims by Republican Presidential Candidates

The International Quranic Center (IQC), founded by Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour, promotes a peaceful, inclusive, and ethical vision of Islam.  Since its inception, IQC has stood firmly against forces of extremism and violence that threaten peaceful communities living around the world. The Board of IQC includes Muslims from a variety of backgrounds, Jews, and Christians, all committed to mutual respect and interfaith dialogue. 

In line with its core mission and values, the Board of IQC denounces the repeated, dehumanizing and racist rhetoric used by Donald Trump and several other Republican presidential candidates characterizing Muslims as inherently violent and dangerous.  These problematic statements incorrectly equate the core beliefs of Islam with the violent and theologically false Wahhabist interpretations of the faith promoted by the Saudi government and now ISIS (Daesh). 

IQC finds the hateful statements of Trump and others to be no better than statements made by ISIS followers. Indeed, extremists on all sides remain the only winners in the continuing escalation of violence and hate.  Not only does this rhetoric hijack the voice of peaceful Muslims, Christians, Jews, and secular people but it creates false divisions among us.

The International Quranic Center emphasizes the importance of including peaceful Muslims in the fight against terrorism. We are caught between ISIS, which kills more Muslims than any other group, and the hateful rhetoric of a prejudiced minority in the West.

The struggle against violent extremism cannot succeed without the following:

1- Emphasizing the peaceful nature of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims, and exposing the contradiction between ISIS’s Wahhabist ideology and the true teachings of Islam;

2- Maximizing the power of social media to broadcast the truths of Islam and respond with grace and strength to contradict ISIS with example, fact and reason and weaken their recruitment techniques. See the IQC website for examples of this form of online engagement;

3- Galvanizing the overwhelming majority of peaceful Muslims to rise to the occasion to demonstrate the true tenants of Islam with compassion and hospitality. Recognizing that becoming a model of peace during such difficult times is our sacred task;

4-Fostering a culture of dialogue, inclusion, and respect for Muslims in the United States;

5-Inviting all mosques in the United States to reject Wahhabist ideologies and adopt the core values of Islam: peace, justice, and freedom.

In these troubling times when the social fabric of the American nation is being threatened, the only solution is for all of us to stand by the American and Islamic values of religious freedom, tolerance, and diversity.  Only by this example can we win the war on extremism. We invite Republicans and Democrats everywhere to join us in fighting violent extremism by communicating what Islam and all of the religions of the world share and not by painting Islam as a religion of violence.

We stand ready to partner with other religious and secular communities to fight both the forces of Islamophobia and violent extremism.

Ahmed Subhy Mansour

President of the International Quranic Center

 Board of Directors

Irving Spitzberg, Esq., Chair

 Ahmed Mansour, President

Sherif Mansour, Vice President

Mohamed Dandan

Mohamed Sadek

Sande Hart