On behalf of the Muslim community, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago extends its prayers and condolences to the ten families whose loved ones who were apart of this tragic incident. We grieve that they have joined a growing list of families who have lost family members due to gun violence motivated by racial or ethnic animus.
While we cannot undo the deadly actions, we can oppose actions that fuel division and violence in our multicultural society. We must stand against public speech that ostracizes a racial, ethnic, or religious group. We must challenge lies, misstatements, and conflated opinions about groups within our society. We must condemn hate speech and its cloaked call to violent action against groups within our society. We must vet the public discourse for truthfulness and denounce it when we find lies and unsubstantiated opinions directed at racial, religious, and ethnic groups.