The Conservative Muslim Forum is shocked and horrified by the murder of a man on the streets of Woolwich, London earlier today.

Reports indicate that the victim was a soldier and that the killers shouted Allahu Akbar (Arabic for “God is great”) as they carried out their crime. A video has appeared on television in which one of the killers makes statements about suffering in overseas countries.

The Conservative Muslim Forum condemns this murder in the strongest possible terms. The killers and any accomplices must be punished with the full force of the law.

No political or ideological beliefs can justify such a crime. Any claim by the killers to be acting in the name of Islam is specious, and invoking God’s name while committing a crime is an obscene action offensive to all Muslims.

As well as facing prosecution and punishment by the legal system, in the fullness of time the killers will answer to God on the Day of Judgement for their crimes.

Those who commit such crimes often wish to divide our country and set Muslim and non-Muslim citizens against each other. The Conservative Muslim Forum calls upon all Britons to unite against such criminals, and to reject any attempts to destroy the harmony of our peaceful society.

We should remember that there are nearly 2.8 million Muslims in the United Kingdom, nearly all of whom are law abiding citizens. Sadly amongst them is a tiny minority with distorted and incorrect views which lead them to commit criminal actions which are not permitted in Islam, killing or injuring their direct victims, and seeking to damage our society’s cohesion.

In contrast to such criminals, many Muslims serve in our country’s Armed Forces and police services helping to protect our society against external and internal threats. The Conservative Muslim Forum encourages Muslims to pursue these careers and our chairman Lord Sheikh has consistently supported the Armed Forces Muslim Association and the National Association of Muslim Police.