March 4, 2010

Maulana Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has issued a global ruling against terrorism and suicide bombing, BBC reports on Tuesday.

Dr Qadri, an influential Pakistani scholar, said 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' that has not been sufficiently challenged. The scholar's movement is growing in the UK and has atracted the interest of policymakers and security chiefs.

In his religious ruling, delivered in London, 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 argued that his massive document goes much further by omiting "ifs and buts" added by other thinkers. He said that it set out a point-by-point theological rebutal of every argument used by Qaeda-inspired recruiters.

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 atempt to get its theological arguments taken up by Muslims in Western nations. It will be promoted in the UK by Dr Qadri's organisation, Minhajul Quran International.

Dr Qadri spoke for more than hour to an audience of Muslims, clergy, MPs, police officers and other security officials.

"They (terrorists) can't claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim Umah (global brotherhood).