The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
August 24, 2010

Imam Feisal Defends Islam as a Peaceful Religion
------------------------------------------------



As debate continues over the construction of an Islamic cultural center
in Lower Manhattan, the chief figure behind the program, Imam Feisal
Abdul Rauf, is continuing on a State Department-sponsored trip in the
Middle East. In a speech to Bahrain TV, Imam Feisal defended Islam as a
peaceful religion and condemned terrorism.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf: "This principle, which defines terrorism, is
strictly forbidden in Islam. It falls under the category of what Muslim
jurists have called 'Herabah,' because 'Herabah' destroys the
structures, the binding structures, of human society. Our faith is a
religion not only of spirituality, of ethics and of morality, but also a
religion of law and the rule of law."



.