Tuesday Mar 2,2010

Earlier today, a leading Islamic scholar, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, issued a comprehensive fatwa which in 600 pages of argument ruled that terrorists were enemies of Islam, that suicide bombers were heading for hell, and that “There is no place for any martyrdom and their act is never, ever to be considered Jihad.”

The fatwa was issued in London at an event organised and funded by Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI) UK. I heard about this from the Quilliam Foundation, which said:

“This fatwa has the potential to be a highly significant step towards eradicating Islamist terrorism. Fatwas by Wahhabi-influenced clerics and Islamist ideologues initiated modern terrorism against civilians. Terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda 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.”

This is apparently the most comprehensive fatwa (religious ruling) on terrorism ever issued and will set a clear context for those Muslims who are seeking a clear lead from mainstream scholars.