ABC Net : Cleric issues fatwa condemning terrorism

Wednesday, March 3, 2010 12:56:00

ELEANOR HALL: A leading Pakistani cleric in Britain has issued a religious ruling condemning terrorism.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri heaped scorn on the notion of religious rewards for suicide bombers.

Instead he warned suicide bombers they are destined for hell.

In London, Rachael Brown reports.

RACHAEL BROWN: Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri's 600-page religious ruling, or fatwa, says suicide bombings and attacks on civilian targets are condemned by Islam, and render the perpetrators 'unbelievers'.

He says there are no circumstances in which suicide bombings can be justified.

MUHAMMAD TAHIR-UL-QADRI: No person in the whole world can provide a single evidence from Koran who would create any exceptional permissibility to committing suicide bombing.

RACHAEL BROWN: Dr Qadri runs a Sufi movement based in Lahore, but he says he wanted to spread his message to the UK and the wider Western world.

MUHAMMAD TAHIR-UL-QADRI: So that the whole world may know that whatever the terrorists are doing, they no link with Islam, and I wanted to give this message to the youth in Western world also, that these kind of activities will lead them to hellfire, and they're not involved in any kind of martyrdom operation. Rather they are doing an act which is an act of disbelief.

RACHAEL BROWN: Dr Qadri hopes his message will come in time for those on the fringes of extremism, who, he says, have been brainwashed. He says Western youth, whether they be of Pakistani, Indian or Arabic Islamic backgrounds, are being victimised and misguided on the concepts of Islam.

MUHAMMAD TAHIR-UL-QADRI: You go on Internet and you will find the extremist and the terrorist people are running uncountable websites giving the wrong concepts of Jihad, wrong concepts of suicide bombing, giving that fatwa's in favour of suicide bombing, creating some exemptions for them and this is how they are being brainwashed.

Source : http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s2835566.htm

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