Abu Sayyaf — gang of criminals

The article “Abu Sayyaf’s kidnapping spree” (Oct. 29) left me deeply sad. These groups who claim to be representing Islam are only bringing a bad name to our religion. Kidnapping and slaughtering innocent people are criminal acts. The brutal actions and skewed ideology of these groups are portraying Muslims as a nation, which does not wish to live in harmony with people of other faiths. It seems that members of such terrorist groups have never read the life history of our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). He was all about compassion, forgiveness and tolerance. He even forgave people who had harmed him and his family members.
On the occasion of the conquest of Makkah, our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was in a position to exact revenge on his former enemies. Instead of punishing them, he announced immunity for all of them. He did not order forced conversion of those people to Islam.
I have many Filipino friends and I found them to be very friendly and tolerant people. I think the Muslim population of the archipelago should unequivocally denounce such groups and leave no stone unturned to help the authorities nab these criminals. If Muslims feel that they are facing some issues, they should engage in a dialogue with the authorities and try to resolve those issues amicably. — Javed Shahab, Jeddah