In a message posted on her Facebook page yesterday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah condemned the terrorist attack against the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris last week, stating that the attack did not represent Islam, a religion of peace, tolerance and mercy.
Queen Rania wrote, "As a Muslim, it pains me when someone derides Islam and my religious beliefs. It also pains me when someone derides other religions and other people’s religious beliefs. But what offends me more, much more, are the actions of the criminals who, this week, dared to use Islam to justify the cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians."
"This is not about Islam or being offended by the Charlie Hebdo magazine. This is about a handful of extremists who wanted to slaughter people for any reason and at any cost," the Queen asserted.
In her message, Queen Rania described the true values of Islam and affirmed that it is "a religion of peace, tolerance and mercy. It is a source of comfort and strength for more than 1.6 billion Muslims – the same people who are shocked, saddened and appalled by the events in Paris this week."
Her Majesty, who will be participating with His Majesty King Abdullah II in the Paris Unity March today, wrote: "I join His Majesty King Abdullah in Paris to stand in solidarity with the people of France in their darkest hour... To stand in unity against extremism in all its forms and to stand up for our cherished faith, Islam. And so that the lasting image of these terrible events is an unprecedented outpouring of sympathy and support between people of all faiths and cultures."
Source: Petra