The leading scholar Dr Tahir ul Qadri explains today why he issued a fatwa condemning terrorism and declaring suicide bombers to be un-Islamic. Writing exclusively for The Nation al, Dr ul Qadri, the founding leader of the peace-promoting group Minhaj ul Quran, said: “Terrorism cannot be justi ed in any way.”

Describing al Qa’eda as “an old evil with a new name”, Dr ul Qadri writes: “Those who have decided to become suicide bombers are totally brainwashed.” He gives warning that if groups and individuals begin taking revenge for perceived foreign aggression, “it will create global anarchy and there will be no rule of law, just killing”.

The 600-page fatwa has appeared in Urdu, and Arabic and English translations have been started. “There was a need to address every major concern, every major and minor aspect which has already been planted in people’s minds,” writes Dr ul Qadri.