On behalf of the General Assembly of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, gathered in Paris July 7th and 8th 2005, we utterly condemn the terrorist atrocities committed in London on July 7th. Our condolences go to the families, relatives and friends of the victims of these horrible acts.
We are encouraged to learn that the leaders of all major religions have denounced these attacks. The IHEU deplores the use of religious belief to justify violence and utterly condemns those who preach violence in the name of religion.
We are appalled however to see signs of a backlash against the Muslim community in Britain and of harassment of individual Muslims. We condemn absolutely this reaction and would remind everyone that to engage in such attacks is to play into the hands of the extremists.
Signed by
Roy Brown, President
Sonja Eggerickx, 1st Vice-President
Larry Jones, Vice-President
Rob Buitenweg, Vice-President
Jack Jeffrey, Vice-President
Roger Lepeix, Treasurer
Babu Gogineni, Executive Director