March 4, 2010

Senator Cory Bernardi congratulates a Muslim leader for speaking out against terrorism.

I am referring to reports in the UK newspapers yesterday that a Muslim leader has finally condemned the acts of terrorism conducted in the name of Islam.

Pakistani-born Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said there were no 'ifs or buts' that acts of terrorism cut people off as true followers of Islam.

In issuing his fatwa, or religious edict concerning Islamic life, he said "There is no place for any martyrdom and their act is never, ever to be considered Jihad.'

He further called on Islamic leaders to convey the message to all their followers.

Dr Qadri's comments are a welcome change to the equivocation of many self-styled imams and Islamic religious leaders who refuse to condemn suicide bombings and other atrocities committed in the name of religious belief.

In Australia, one of these so-called leaders of the Islamic community, Sheik Hilali, even justified rape of Australian women, referring to them as 'uncovered meat', while one supporter of a convicted terrorist plotter blamed the Australian social security system for the extremist behaviour.

In the face of great adversity, there has been a great deal of tolerance extended to those of the Islamic faith by the western world. Such tolerance has been wearing thin by the refusal of so many Islamic scholars to unequivocally condemn terrorism, in all its forms, as evil.

In a further departure from the intolerance, hate and barbarism preached by radical Islamists, Dr Qadri was quoted as saying;

'Good intentions cannot convert a wrong into good, they cannot convert an evil into good. Terrorism is terrorism, violence is violence and it has no place in Islamic teaching and no justification can be provided for it, or any kind of excuses or ifs or buts.'

Three cheers for Dr Qadri.