Islamic Networks Group Statement of Solidarity with Victims and Families of Buffalo Shooting

From the Islamic Networks Group:

We at ING join the rest of the nation in expressing our grief and solidarity over the horrendous act of racist violence in Buffalo, New York, this past weekend. We mourn the deaths of the 10 innocent victims and pray for the healing of those who were injured, most of whom are Black Americans. Our hearts go out to all those who are mourning loved ones and to all the communities and individuals shaken by this latest manifestation of racism and bigotry in our country and the world.

We stand in solidarity with all those impacted by this heinous act against racism, bigotry, and hate.

The attack in Buffalo, clearly motivated by racism according to the words of the shooter himself, was no isolated incident. We need only recall Oak Creek, WI, Charleston, SC, Pittsburgh, PA, Poway, CA, El Paso, TX, and too many other places that have suffered similar lethal attacks based on the same hatred that took ten lives in Buffalo, to see that this tide of racist violence has reached epidemic proportions. Behind these crimes lies a racist ideology that is now openly espoused by leading media and political figures.

The suspect in the Buffalo shooting issued an antisemitic and racist manifesto against Jews, Blacks, and other people of color indicating that he acted out of fear that White Americans like himself were in danger of being “replaced” by non-White “others”—a fear vigorously stoked by talk show hosts and even some members of Congress, to the point where a recent survey showed that one-third of Americans accept the basic tenets of this theory of “the Great Replacement.” And behind this openly racist ideology lies the ongoing problems of structural racism and implicit bias that still afflict our country.

Racism and bigotry in all their forms not only threaten the lives and physical safety of people of color and of minority religions, they are polarizing Americans to the point that calm and reasoned political discussion are rendered impossible and threatening our democracy, including measures to restrict voting that are justified by barely concealed appeals to the sort of racist fear that led the shooter in Buffalo to open fire on peaceful shoppers in a grocery store.

We must not let our country “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” to fall prey to the scourge of fear, division, and authoritarianism that is currently spreading through much of the world.

The terrible event in Buffalo must serve as a wake-up call, leading us to work with even greater determination against all forms of racism and bigotry.

We at ING have developed tools and resources for this that have been utilized by educators, corporations, local government, law enforcement, community organizations and other groups and institutions across the country.

Our Intercultural Speakers Bureau (ICSB) offers panels with representatives from marginalized groups who explore the roots, history, and current manifestations of racism and invite audiences to take specific, concrete action against racism personally and in their communities.

Our online educator resources offer teachers a 14-lesson plan curriculum free of charge that examines the history and origins of dominant narratives about marginalized groups, the process of racialization that leads to implicit bias and racism, and their manifestations in society today. The curriculum concludes with lesson plans about the power of counter narratives through the voices of the affected groups, as well as individual and collective actions for countering racism.

We encourage you to go to our website (www.ing.org) and join us in our critical work towards an America that lives up more fully to our ideals of justice, equality, and human rights for all its citizens.

ING Team