—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
JAMAICA, New York (September 12, 2012) – The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) issued a press release today condemning the attacks on U.S. missions in Egypt and Libya, which came after the preview for an anti-Islamic film by an American filmmaker surfaced online.

“ICNA strongly condemns the violent attacks on American embassies in Egypt and Libya. Nothing is worth the cost of an innocent human life, and we firmly believe that there is no honor or faith in committing such violence.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the other three American personnel at this tragic time. Today we lost a diplomat and friend to the people of Libya; we commend him and U.S. envoys in Libya and elsewhere for their dedication to peace.
We are disturbed that the perpetrators of these attacks are claiming to defend the Prophet Muhammad’s honor. The Prophet was a man of peace and mercy; to engage in such violence and senseless killing is to truly defile his legacy. We implore Muslims in the region and around the world to remember the Prophet’s teachings and honor his life by following his example of kindness and love in the face of hostility.
We appeal to Muslims in the Arab region and elsewhere to ignore cheap attempts for publicity by hateful bigots. By engaging in violence Muslims are not only harming innocent lives but also falling in the trap set up by bigots.
We also appeal to the larger American public to be wary of such attempts by individuals and groups, who, in most cases, have foreign ties and engage in such hateful projects that not only endanger Americans’ and others’ lives overseas, but incite hate attacks against minorities in America as well.”