Shaykh Tahir ul Qadri issues terrorism fatwa

Sajid Iqbal —

Islamic scholar Tahir ul-Qadri to issue terrorism fatwa

An influential Muslim scholar is to issue in London a global ruling against terrorism and suicide bombing.

Dr Tahir ul-Qadri, from Pakistan, says his 600-page judgement, known as a fatwa, completely dismantles al-Qaeda's violent ideology.

The scholar describes al-Qaeda as an "old evil with a new name" which has not been sufficiently challenged.

The scholar's movement is growing in the UK and has attracted the interest of policymakers and security chiefs.

In his religious ruling, Dr Qadri says that Islam forbids the massacre of innocent citizens and suicide bombings.

Although many scholars have made similar rulings in the past, Dr Qadri's followers argue that the massive document being launched in London goes much further.

They say it sets out point-by-point theological arguments against the rhetoric used by al-Qaeda inspired recruiters.

The fatwa also challenges the religious motivations of would-be suicide bombers who are inspired by promises of an afterlife.

The populist scholar developed his document last year as a response to the increase in bombings across Pakistan by militants.

The basic text has been extended to 600 pages to cover global issues, in an attempt to get its theological arguments taken up by Muslims in western nations. It will be promoted in the UK by Dr Qadri's organisation, Minhaj ul-Quran International.

Shahid Mursaleen, spokesman for Minhaj-ul-Quran in the UK, said the fatwa was hard-hitting.

"This fatwa injects doubt into the minds of potential suicide bombers," he said.

"Extremist groups based in Britain recruit the youth by brainwashing them that they will 'with certainty' be rewarded in the next life.

"Dr Qadri's fatwa has removed this key intellectual factor from their minds."

Religious rulings

The document is not the first to condemn terrorism and suicide bombing to be launched in the UK.

Scholars from across the UK came together in the wake of the 7 July London attacks to denounce the bombers and urge communities to root out extremists.

But some scholarly rulings in the Middle East have argued that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is an exceptional situation where "martyrdom" attacks can be justified.

Although Dr Qadri has a large following in Pakistan, Minhaj ul-Quran International remained largely unknown in the UK until relatively recently.

It now has 10 mosques in the British cities with significant Muslim communities and says it is targeting younger generations it believes have been let down by traditional leaders.

The organisation is attracting the attention of policymakers and security chiefs who are continuing to look for allies in the fight against extremists.

The Department for Communities, which runs most of the government's "Preventing Violent Extremism" strategy, has tried building bridges with a variety of liberal-minded groups, but often found that they have limited actual influence at the grassroots.

Source: BBC

Forum

Sajid Iqbal — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 - 11:21

Islamic Scholar Issues Anti-Terrorism Fatwa
8:31am UK, Tuesday March 02, 2010

A prominent Islamic scholar will use a speech in London to issue a 600-page religious edict, denouncing terrorists and suicide bombers as "unbelievers".

Scholar condemns terror attacks like 2005 London bombings which killed 52 people

Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri is a leading figure who has promoted peace and interfaith dialogue for 30 years.

He said he felt compelled to issue the fatwa because of concerns about the radicalisation of British Muslims at university campuses and because there had been a lack of condemnation of extremism by Muslim clerics and scholars.

Ul Qadri says his fatwa, which is aimed at persuading young Muslims to turn their backs on extremism, goes further than any previous denunciation.

"This is the first, most comprehensive fatwa on the subject of terrorism ever written," said ul Qadri, who has written about 350 books on Islamic scholarship.

He is a scholar of Sufism, a long tradition within Islam which is widely seen as focusing on peace, tolerance and moderation.

The reality is that whatever these terrorists are doing it is not martyrdom. All these activities are taking them to hellfire.

Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri

Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, accused of trying to bomb a US-bound plane on Christmas Day, studied at a London university until 2008.

Government officials in Yemen, where Mutallab began his journey, have said he was radicalised while in Britain.

However, the British Government claims his introduction to hardcore extremists happened after he left the UK.

Government officials will be among those joining ul Qadri for the launch of the fatwa in central London.

The Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella organisation representing some 500 Islamic groups, has welcomed the fatwa.

Mutallab is accused of attempting to explode a bomb on board a transatlantic jet

Ul Qadri will tell his audience: "The reality is that whatever these terrorists are doing it is not martyrdom. All these activities are taking them to hellfire."

The 59-year-old was born in Pakistan and is head of the global Minhaj ul Quran religious and educational organisation which spreads his Sufi ideas.

A former Pakistani minister and associate of assassinated prime minister Benazir Bhutto, he delivers lectures worldwide promoting his message of harmony and was one of the first Muslim leaders to condemn the 9/11 attacks in the US.

While ul Qadri has followers around the globe, it is in Pakistan where he has millions of followers and in the diaspora that his impact is likely to be greatest.

Britain has about 1.7 million Muslims, mainly of Pakistani descent.

The UK's security services say nearly all major terrorism plots since 2001, including the 2005 London bombings which killed 52 people, have been linked to Pakistan.

Those who are already hardliners will pay no attention at all but 'swing voters' - poorly-educated and angry Muslims who respect mainstream scholars - will probably take note.

Tim Winter, Islamic studies lecturer at Cambridge University

Ul Qadri said he is confident his edict will have a significant impact because he has drawn on classical teachings and authorities acceptable to all sects of Islam.

"I will say more than 50% will change their way, they will be influenced," he said.

"Of the remaining 50% at least some of them, half of them, will become doubtful about their life, their terrorist activity," he said.

Tim Winter, a lecturer in Islamic studies at Cambridge University, said while there had been similar fatwas in the past, ul Qadri did appear to have gone further than most.

"To declare the miscreants as unbelievers is unusual because it is not really clear that the rules allow one simply to say that they are not Muslims."

He added: "Those who are already hardliners will pay no attention at all but 'swing voters' - poorly-educated and angry Muslims who respect mainstream scholars - will probably take note.

"Certainly it is a helpful initiative."

Ul Qadri's pronouncement will be welcomed by authorities in the UK and by other Western governments seeking to stamp out extremism - but the respected scholar said their backing is irrelevant to his views.

source: Sky News

Anonymous12 (not verified) — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 - 13:28

this is not about the battle of Afghanistan n Palestine, rather its the stance against people calling Islam a terroristic religion n calling its followers terrorists n its clarifying that these misconceptions both in rather minds of Muslims and non Muslims about their religion are not true.... this religion does not speak of rewards int he after life for killing people.

Sajid Iqbal — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 - 14:01

You see in Pakistan, where Dr Qadri is from, has suicide bombings on a daily basis and hardly any organisations or scholars have really made a statement to not just condemn it but to produce a fatwa in order to get the majority behind the thinking that suicide bombings are haram and its perperators are enemies of Islam and their destiny is hell fire not the hoors in Jannah then expect!

Its the role of the ulema to speak against munkar and oppression; especially when its Msulims killing Muslims. A scholar last year gave a fatwa in Pakistan and then was killed at Jummah salah. The scholars in Pakistan need to all openly condemn these attacks and unanimously support a fatwa like this; so sympathisers of terrorism are deterred and made to see sense.

Giving a fatwa 10 years ago doesnt mean that it isnt given again due to current circumstances and not just as a reminder but a wake up call because after 9/11, 7/7 and many other suicide attacks world wide are openly done by Muslims- so this fatwa is well overdue.

It takes courage and also it takes a scholar of a high calibre to give such a fatwa. Only sectarians will dismiss it as they cant see pass 'it's not my scholar or my school of thought' that is giving the fatwa.

Scholars cant stay quiet when Muslims and Islam are being hijacked by the suicide bomb.

TPOS — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 - 18:58

New products, new books, new fashion collections, you name it – the PR events to launch them are two a penny. But one PR event in London this morning was surely the first of its kind: the "launching" of a fatwa against terrorism and suicide bombing.

The fatwa, running to 600 pages, has been written by Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri, founder and leader of a Muslim sect based in Pakistan, and highlighted in a press release from the Quilliam Foundation, an anti-extremism thinktank which last year received £1m funding from the British government.

Even before its full contents were revealed, the fatwa was getting enthusiastic hype from the media, including two pages of uncritical guff in the London Evening Standard from Allegra Mostyn-Owen (former wife of the London mayor) and Douglas Murray of the Centre for Social Cohesion. But Murray and Mostyn-Owen are not the sort of people who need to be persuaded of its worth, since neither of them is ever likely to contemplate resorting to terrorism. The real question is how potential suicide bombers will react to it – and on that test the newly-launched fatwa is far more likely to sink than float.

Of course, some people might say it's still worth a try, but there's an important principle at stake here which Quilliam and others have failed to recognise. Seeking to counter "bad" fatwas with "good" fatwas – well-intentioned as it may be – is a dangerous road to take, because it undermines the work of those who are trying to develop more progressive interpretations of Islam
...

read the rest @ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/mar/02/fatwa-anti-t…

You — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 - 19:00

Well, IMO too many have stayed quiet for too long.

This is a good move. Some beat him to it. Some may follow. It is not a race.

But the more scholars that speak from the same boat the better - lends credibility.

[size=6](Not that I trust them too much...)[/size]

An "alternative view" of the fatwa from Indigo Joe.

Sajid Iqbal — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 - 20:04

the guardian article is very negative and actually missing the point. This fatwa is a reminder and of course about time a recognised world scholar spoke up against terrorism. I dont care what sect or school of thought you are, if you speak against terrorism and educate young Muslims of what Islam really says about it then you're preventing terrroism and extremism, and lets not forget for the non Muslim audience this is what they have been waiting for years.
I was watching sky news and the story of this fatwa received 5% of all clicks today on theiri website, and after reading loads of comments regarding the story; its mostly non muslims breathing a sigh of releif and feel a bit better that finally Muslim scholars and leaders are openly talking about this.
Its a shame that some Muslims like the one in the guardian blog are too sectarian and have their blinkers on and as a result cant appreciate the significance of this fatwa.

You — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 - 20:10

It is not the first, it will not be the last.

It is however welcome and needed. The more the better.

But one thing this is not is a "new dawn".

Things should be kept in context. Someone somewhere mentioned at some point that most of his followers would have been against terrorism before this anyway.

Those for it will see him as having sold out or it will confirm their suspicions on his legitimacy (or lack thereof in their eyes).

At the same time, the more scholars that issue such things the more dificult it would be for people to hide in technicalities and claims that only those who "sold out" are the ones issuing such fatwas.

Saying that, is he in pakiland? I hear some others who have given such fatwas have met violence soon after, many being killed in shootings or suicide bombings.

You — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 - 20:12

[quote=ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE][quote=TheRevivalEditor]the guardian article is very negative [/quote]

yep :/[/quote]

That is not the issue with the Guardian article. It is an issue of an outsider actually thinking he knows something and championing the need for "reform" and "progression".

He does not realise that it is precisely this reform and progression that has allowed people to legitimise killing others.

A hypocrisy with the piece is that there are people out there asking where are the scholars who condemn such things, and thend emanding that they do. When that happens, others come out and say "oh, not another fatwa... we have enough already!". Can't have it both ways.

Braveheart (not verified) — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 - 13:35

It's was about time tat someone spoke from Muslims, Muslims have been silence for a long time. Very few Islamic Scholars might have spoken against terrorism but no one came forward as this man did.

Well done Mr Qadri

Muslimah_Traveller — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 - 13:40

[quote=Braveheart]It's was about time tat someone spoke from Muslims, Muslims have been silence for a long time. Very few Islamic Scholars might have spoken against terrorism but no one came forward as this man did.

Well done Mr Qadri [/quote]

yeh ino exctly wat u mean...

thank God some positive news on the media regarding MUSLIMS!!!

You — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 - 18:24

[quote=Braveheart]It's was about time tat someone spoke from Muslims, Muslims have been silence for a long time. Very few Islamic Scholars might have spoken against terrorism but no one came forward as this man did.

Well done Mr Qadri [/quote]

Erm...

1. There have been loads.
2. Some of them have even even been killed due to their fatwas.
3. The duty of the scholars here is less to make non muslims feel all wishy washy about Muslims, but to educate the Muslims, so if the views of the scholars have not done the rounds in the western press, that is no bad thing.
4. More, now that this has done the rounds, there was many pundits in the same papers asking for this think now asking "was it really necessary? we all know indiscriminate violence is wrong, so why does a scholar need to explain it?"

I think pretending that this is the first person to speak up against terrorism is a disservice to many people and also cheapens the blood price paid by many who have made the same assertions before.

The more the merrier, but please keep things in perspective.

Sajid Iqbal — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 - 19:39

[quote=You][quote=Braveheart]It's was about time tat someone spoke from Muslims, Muslims have been silence for a long time. Very few Islamic Scholars might have spoken against terrorism but no one came forward as this man did.

Well done Mr Qadri [/quote]

Erm...

1. There have been loads.
2. Some of them have even even been killed due to their fatwas.
3. The duty of the scholars here is less to make non muslims feel all wishy washy about Muslims, but to educate the Muslims, so if the views of the scholars have not done the rounds in the western press, that is no bad thing.
4. More, now that this has done the rounds, there was many pundits in the same papers asking for this think now asking "was it really necessary? we all know indiscriminate violence is wrong, so why does a scholar need to explain it?"

I think pretending that this is the first person to speak up against terrorism is a disservice to many people and also cheapens the blood price paid by many who have made the same assertions before.

The more the merrier, but please keep things in perspective.[/quote]

Alot of scholars for many years have spoke against terrorism, condemned it. Some verabally and some in some form of documents. Whether its Albani, Qaradawi, Hamza Yusuf etc and others they have according to the requirements of the time spoke out. So I dont think Dr Tahir ul Qadri or his organisation are saying that this is the first fatwa on terroism; this is the view of over emotional supporters.
Also its not a competition. Dr Qadri due to the increase in Pakistan, his home country, of suicide attacks felt the need to produce this fatwa and he should be given credit for that. A previous big Pakistani scholar gave a fatwa against suicide atatcks in Pakistan and later was killed himself in a suicide atatck. The need of the time is now that all leading scholars unite on this condemnation of suicide bombings and work together to tackle it.
I suppose the thing that seperates this from other fatwas is that it goes as far as calling suicide bombers as Kafir and their punishmnet is the hell fire and not the Virgins they are expecting.

You — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 - 19:49

[quote=TheRevivalEditor]I suppose the thing that seperates this from other fatwas is that it goes as far as calling suicide bombers as Kafir and their punishmnet is the hell fire and not the Virgins they are expecting.[/quote]

:/

I don't think you can say that. Atleast not for every case.

The general rule is doing haraam makes you a "great sinner", ie a faasiq. Actually going further to call the act not haraam (and in this implicitly or explicitly arguing that either the qur'an is wrong or that it is not the word of God, or that God is wrong) makes a person kafir.

You — Fri, 5 Mar 2010 - 11:13

When they disapopint, someone has to speak up. Besides when it comes to issues of making takfir, the rules are quite stringent. It is kufr only kufr if they deny the validity of scripture (or of basic beliefs).

You — Fri, 5 Mar 2010 - 23:59

[quote=TheRevivalEditor]u have given no evidence from anywhere to back ur view[/quote]

On the contrary, I mentioned the principles that I thought were used to making declarations of takfir - more specifically the boundary between haraam and kufr.

You could have argued with that principle, said I was wrong there etc, but instead we are talking about wether I am a big enough mufti to ask questions.

I am simply going by what you are sayingthe document says and comparing it with what I think most Muslim think is the correct dividing line between haraam and kufr.

Maybe the fatwa says something else. Maybe I am mistaken. But none of these has been shown.

The thing about turning takfiri is it hinders discussion. You cannot talk to people if you are calling them kaafir. There is no room to win them over.

There are scholars who have in limited situations defended suicide bombings and said it can be allowed. If the fatwa is as clear as you say, then it is calling people like Shaykh Yusuf Al Qaradawi kaafir.

That is a big thing. Calling anyone is.

I am looking at this from a matter of principle.

Many people seem to be on a high because their scholar condemned terrorism. Thing is his followers were not likely to have been involved (too much?) anyway.

It is a good statement of intent from what I read of the headlines, and the more people that make it the merrier.

But just because it is "your scholar" that says something that does and should not mean that it is beyond question.

I listened to a speech of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf once where he mentioned that the Jewish faith got corrupted because only the elite had access and understanding of the torah. Thus, when it was tampered with, the lower downs were more or less unawares.

(However him and others have then come later on to question "mufti google", but I think they are wrong there. God, when he decided to guide the arabs, did not decide to send an alien or a foriegner. In the same way, in the age of the internet, if the scholars do not get involved, that is a major weakness in their armour.)

It is our job to question scholars. The early Muslims afaik when asked questions, or challenged on a matter use phrases such as "who are you to ask this?" or "how dare you question me" and such an atitude is not condusive to pleasantry or open debate.

A fatwa has been issued. It should now not be placed in some high untouchable place to never be discussed.

(@ Dawud - if I was such a studious person, don't you think I would have better things to do than to spend my days on arguing a semi-empty forum?)