Posted on 03/01/2010 5:37:22 PM PST by SJackson
LONDON A revered mainstream Muslim scholar is set to announce in London on Tuesday a fatwa (Muslim ruling) against terrorism and suicide bombing in the name of Islam.
Sheikh Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri, a widely recognized and respected authority on Islamic jurisprudence, will issue a comprehensive fatwa prohibiting terrorism and suicide bombing at a press conference in Westminster, central London.
The Pakistani-born Dr. Qadri has authored an unprecedented, 600-page fatwa on why suicide bombings and terrorism are un-Islamic and scripturally forbidden. The ruling is the most comprehensive theological refutation of Islamist terrorism to date.
The fatwa will also be posted on the Internet and in English, making it readily accessible. It will also set an important precedent and allow other scholars to similarly condemn the ideas behind terrorism.
Dr. Qadri has used texts in the Koran and other Islamic writings to argue that suicide and other terrorist attacks are absolutely against the teachings of Islam and that Islam does not permit such acts on any excuse, reason or pretext.
The fatwa condemns suicide bombers as destined for hell, refuting the claim used by Islamists that such terrorists will earn paradise after death.
Todays tragedy is that terrorists, murderers, mischief-mongers and rioters try to prove their criminal, rebellious, tyrannous, brutal and blasphemous activities as a right and a justified reaction to foreign aggression under the garb of defense of Islam and national interests, he says about suicide bombing.
It can in no way be permissible to keep foreign delegates under unlawful custody and murder them and other peaceful non-Muslim citizens in retaliation for interference, unjust activities and aggressive advances of their countries, Qadri said, asserting, The one who does has no relation to Islam.
Dr. Qadri is the founder of the international Minhaj-ul-Quran movement. Supporters say his fatwa is significant because he is issuing it himself and his movement, a major grass-roots global organization, has hundreds of thousands of followers in South Asia and the UK.
The move has been welcomed by the Quilliam Foundation, a London-based anti-extremism think-tank led by former Islamists.
This fatwa has the potential to be a highly significant step towards eradicating Islamist terrorism, a Quilliam spokesperson said. Fatwas by Wahhabi-influenced clerics and Islamist ideologues initiated modern terrorism against civilians. Terrorist groups such as al-Qaida continue to justify their mass killings with self-serving readings of religious scripture.
Fatwas that demolish and expose such theological innovations will consign Islamist terrorism to the dustbin of history.
Londons Centre for Social Cohesion think-tank has also welcomed the initiative.
CSC director Douglas Murray believes that in recent years, and since the July 2005 terrorist attack in London, Muslim leaders have failed to unequivocally condemn violence committed in the name of Islam.
A sentence that may to many people seem clear, such as There can be no justification for the killing of innocent people is filled with caveats what is an innocent person? Who decides who is or is not innocent?
Too many Muslim religious figures sound as if they are condemning violence when in fact they are merely condemning violence in certain situations, against certain people, he said.
Murray said the fatwa takes away the caveats and will have far-reaching consequences. However he said it wont stop Islamic terrorism instantaneously.
Dr. ul-Qadri is respected for his ability to cross some of the notable sectarian boundaries that abound in the Islamic faith as in all others. Even Muslims who might dislike him will not be able to dismiss him out of hand.
Yet even if the contents of this fatwa are what people have long hoped for, it will not, of course, stop Islamic terrorism straight away. A single fatwa will not change the level of denial and lack of self-criticism inherent in so much of modern Islam. Nor will it stop every fevered young radical eager to kill and maim. But the trickle-down effect is important. The most violent interpretations of Islam have indeed trickled down to terrorists via learned scholars, he said.
If youd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
One down, a billion to go. Sarcasm aside, it's a positive development, I hope Dr. ul-Qadri isn't targeted.
Is islam a bit like protestantism where everyone gets to interpret the koran as they see fit - or is there a “pope” type of figure who makes the official interpretation.
In other words, what weight with other muslims does this edict carry?
The Fatwa will be completely ignored.
I believe he’s Sunni, but that’s open to question, he would tell you he’s Muslim.
Some other Mullah or Iman will issue a fatwa condemning this fatwa and declaring that the author is an apostate that should be killed.
I hope this guy has good security, or failing that, lots of insurance.
I don’t believe they have a pope....and they have the Sunni / Shia divide as well.
Is He a Sunni?
Thanks.
Hey sport,,Mullah,,A little behind the power curve there,,,,
Sunni Islam used to have a “papal” figure, the Caliph, but the last Caliphs were the Ottoman Sultans, and since the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire, the Caliphate has been vacant, and Sunni Islam has become more do-your-own-interpretation than Shia Islam ever was.
The Shi’ites have not, since the last Imam (whether the sect regard the 3rd, 4th or 12th as the last legitimate Imam), had a single central authority, but tend to select particularly learned and well-respected scholars as a “point of reference” and heed their fatwas. (This is one reason why Al Sistani has been such an important figure in post-war Iraq: he is the most respected of living Shi’ite clerics and has the greatest following.)
It seems Qadri is a Sunni, which is good, since Al Qaeda and the Taliban are Sunni operations.
This guy sees the encrouchment of islam as being hindered by the extremist p*ssing everyone off. Until muslims shed that 'peace when all is islam' routine, there are only two sides and only one winner/survivor. Trickle down..my *ss!
We saw the future, it was in Serbia 1999.
“It seems Qadri is a Sunni, which is good, since Al Qaeda and the Taliban are Sunni operations.”
Maybe he can convince some of the other Sunni leaders of his point of view and they issue similar edicts. That could go a long way to end this culture war.
Well Tahir, thus for your fatwa. Nice to have heard from ya’.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.