Opinion | Religious Leaders Cannot Remain Silent About Misused Scripture

By K.R.

Every society depends on responsible voices to guide people away from hatred and violence. In Europe, where millions of Muslims live alongside people of different faiths, imams and other religious leaders carry an especially important responsibility. Their words shape how sacred texts are understood by future generations.

One verse that deserves careful explanation is Surah Al-Fatiha, verse 7, which asks God to guide believers “not on the path of those who incurred Your wrath, nor of those who went astray.” The Quran itself does not identify any specific religious community in this verse. However, many classical Islamic commentaries associated “those who incurred God’s wrath” with Jews and “those who went astray” with Christians.