Muslims in Japan Condemn Hostage Crisis as against Teachings of Islam

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)--Muslims living in Japan condemn the kidnapping of two Japanese nationals by supposed Islamic State militants. While criticizing the online threat by the militants to kill the two hostages as "against Islamic teachings" and "unforgivable" for Muslims in Japan, they also express concerns about the possible impact from the incident on them. Shigeru Shimoyama, 65, who is in charge of public relations at the Tokyo Camii, a mosque in central Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, cites a Koran phrase warning against committing murder and says, "Islamic State's customary executions are out of the question." Islamic extremists were held responsible for the shooting at the Paris head office of the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo earlier this month. The attack claimed 12 lives. "Shooting people is wrong, and there is no room for discussion on this," Shimoyama says. The Tokyo Camii issued a statement on Wednesday saying that terrorist organizations, which see violence as the only tool, cannot be part of the Islamic religion or Islamic civilization. The actions of terrorist groups will leave all Muslims in a precarious position of being viewed like criminals, it said. Shimoyama says that Japanese people have remained relatively calm as they see extremist groups and Islam separately and that there has been no major impact on Muslims in Japan from the massacre in Paris. However, he expresses concern that the latest incident targeting Japanese nationals may fuel prejudice and discrimination. Nofalinda Tsukada, 34, an interpreter and guide who visited the mosque to attend a service accompanying students from Indonesia, said, "The incident has been caused by some extremists, and we will never forgive them." Tsukada, who is married and lives in Japan, expressed concern about the possibility of her child being bullied at school. END