Political and religious leaders across the world and particularly Arab and Islamic political leaders in the Middle East condemned the brutal burning to death of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh by the terrorist group Islamic State.
IS released a 22-minute video on Tuesday purporting to show the execution of the Jordanian pilot by burning him alive.
This latest murder comes on the heels of Saturday’s beheading by the group of a Japanese journalist.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council jointly condemned the brutal killing of Muath Al-Kasasbeh.
Ban Ki-moon said his thoughts are with Al-Kasasbeh’s family and loved ones, and added that he shares their sorrow and stands today in solidarity with the Government and people of Jordan in denouncing this appalling act.
In a separate statement expressing equally strong condemnation, the Security Council said the “heinous and cowardly murder” once again demonstrates the brutality of IS, which is responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities, and without regard to any basic value of humanity.”
Iyad Madani, the leader of the 57-nation, Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the world’s largest bloc of Muslim countries, condemned the killing.
It “utterly disregards the rights of prisoners Islam has decreed, as well as the human moral standards for war and treatment of prisoners,” a statement from Madani said. It is sad to see the “the depth of malaise” in parts of the Middle East, along with the “intellectual decay, the political fragmentation and the abuse of Islam, the great religion of mercy.”
Condemnations quickly came from world Muslim leaders expressing their outrage over the heinous crime under the banner of Islam.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian opposition, expressed her vocal condemnation on her twitter account, revolting assassination of the Jordanian pilot in contradiction of Islam and its teachings.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran also condemned the brutal killing of the Jordanian citizen by the terrorist group.