In an exclusive Ynet article, Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav Dovid Lau wrote an open letter to Muslim religious leaders calling on them to end their silence regarding the recent spate of attacks and murder, emphasizing that if they don’t speak out, their hands are also “covered in blood.”

Read the letter below:

Avishai Yehezkel was taking a stroll with his toddler; Yaakov Shalom was driving home to his four children; Victor and Dima were heading home after a hard day as foreign workers; Amir hurried to save lives by virtue of him being a police officer.

All of them died in the deadly shooting spree in Bnei Brak, along with other six people who died in terror attacks in Hadera and Be’er Sheva days earlier. They were murdered by bloodthirsty terrorists who destroyed the lives of so many people, leaving a generation of widows and orphans.

Why? When did the holy month of Ramadan – one of the holiest in the Muslim faith – turn into a month of sheer wanton cruelty? What motivated these lowly murderers to slaughter our children, wives and elders in the city streets?

With each passing, this month is becoming more and more violent. The usual explanation sees these terrorists described as religious fanatics, with their cry of “Allah Akbar” being a clear indication of their motivation.

The Muslim faith, like other religions, does not sanctify, allow, permit or praise such brutal violence.

Therefore, it’s time for Muslim religious spiritual leaders to stand up and shout, “Enough!” Stop allowing these extremists to turn the holiest of months for Muslims everywhere into an excuse to murder innocent people.

After all, is that the kind of lesson they want future generations to learn?

In Judaism, too, there are holy months, but in Judaism, we celebrate Seder together, sit in a Sukkah of peace, and engage in introspection.

As long as Muslim religious leaders fail to speak out against these attacks, the feeling will be that Islam allows, and even praises, the killers and terrorists who wish to turn Ramadan into the time of death and destruction. All the more so, considering the fact that these terrorists are often admired and celebrated in their hometowns and inside mosques.
Every Muslim religious leader must speak out against the emerging terror wave and the brutal murders of innocent Israelis. They must stand up and say with conviction: “This is not the Muslim faith! This is forbidden, we condemn it, whomever kills is a murderer and is not a martyr.”

From my talks with Arab political leaders, as well as with Arab residents, it is clear they condemn these horrific murders. But the prevalent silence among the spiritual and religious leaders makes it seem as though these horrific attacks have their backing in one way or another.

Muslim religious leadership has a responsibility in this difficult time. If they make their voices heard, perhaps they will be able to help in stopping this heinous murderous campaign perpetrated by a minority of religious extremists.

Muslim religious leaders, you must stand against the desecration of this holy month so sacred to you, not letting the radicals turn it into a month of murder and violence.

Is this what you want to pass on to your future generations? That the month of Ramadan is the month of massacres?

We are all sons of G-d, all of us have a moral and divine duty to abide by the “Thou shalt not kill” rule.

If the Muslim spiritual leaders fail to say, “stop using our religion to commit such atrocities,” then they cannot deny that their hands are covered in blood.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)