J Street condemns the brutal and senseless terrorist attacks on innocent civilians in Paris on Friday and the vicious and evil forces of ISIS who inspired, planned and executed these atrocities. We also remember the victims of last week’s horrific attack on civilians in Beirut as well as those on board the recently-downed Russian airliner from Egypt, both acts of terror that have been attributed to or claimed by ISIS.
Our hearts go out to the French people and all those who lost loved ones and we fervently hope for a full recovery to the many scores of wounded who are battling for their lives in hospitals. We echo the words of President Obama in declaring that we must not allow these nihilistic forces to threaten our way or life or the democratic freedoms on which our society is built.
Responsible world leaders must unite to confront, isolate and ultimately defeat ISIS and all that it stands for. We commend Secretary of State John Kerry who is working hard to devise a political process that could help bring an end to the horrific war in Syria which has become a bleeding wound and source of deep instability in the region and beyond.
We strongly condemn efforts to politicize this tragedy by drawing false comparisons with other issues that are completely separate as well as those who are seeking to exploit this issue to broadly defame Muslims and the religion of Islam.