We feel deeply aggrieved over the brutal killing of Jordanian pilot Maaz Al-Kasaasbeh. There is no doubt left in any Muslim’s mind that the so-called Islamic State (IS) has nothing to do with Islam, a religion which does not sanction the killings of any innocent person, whether a Muslim or a non-Muslim.

The manner in which the young Jordanian pilot has been executed is in sharp contrast to the true teachings of Islam. These brutal terrorists claiming to be representatives of Islam cannot provide even one authentic religious injunction justifying these killings.

What was the crime of Maaz Al-Kasaasbeh? What was the crime of the Japanese and other hostages? What is the crime of the members of the Yezidi community? It is high time that all Muslim countries formed a joint army to wipe out this cancer from the Muslim world. One thing is for sure that no matter what various intellectuals claim, this ideology can never gain currency among Muslims. These terrorist groups only rely on criminal activities and they draw their strength from arms and ammunitions. It is very wrong to assume that Muslims in general can be attracted to this brutal ideology.

Those joining the ranks of various terrorist organizations particularly the IS have either very poor knowledge of Islam or they are just losers who failed to do anything in the world and are now looking to give some meaning to their miserable lives.

Being a Muslim, Kasaasbeh was not just a son of Jordan, we Pakistanis also consider him our son. As a matter of fact, he was the son of the entire Muslim world, which vehemently opposes these terrorist organizations.

We offer our heartfelt condolences to all the family members of Kasaasbeh and our Jordanian brothers.

Jamal Ahmed

Riyadh