Fatwa against terrorism

Fatwa against terrorism

Source: http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.afghanistan/2008−09/msg00015.html

• From: Jedi <transcend_info@xxxxxxxxx>

• Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:54:35 −0700 (PDT)

Fatwa against terrorism

http://www.newstatesman.com/religion/2008/06/terrorism−fatwa−india−islam

Ziauddin Sardar

Published 19 June 2008

"In Islam, creating social discord or disorder, breach of peace,

rioting, bloodshed, pillage or plunder and killing of innocent persons
anywhere in the world are all considered most inhuman crimes."

The beginning of the end of the war of terror has started. Mullahs in
India have issued a fatwa unequivocally denouncing terrorism. So far,
the international media have failed to notice, which is not
surprising: the levers for changing Muslim minds have been a mystery
to governments and media alike. The mullahs I speak of are not just
any old mullahs: they are Deobandi mullahs.

The name Deoband, a small town in Uttar Pradesh, India, conjures awe
and reverence in many Muslim minds. Established in 1866, Darul Uloom
("house of knowledge") Deoband is a religious seminary, second in
importance only to al−Azhar in Cairo. The scholars who established it
led the 1857 revolt against the British. Over the past century, the
institution has played a leading role in fighting all the "isms", from
imperialism and communism to neocolonialism. The Deo band brand is
associated with standing up to those who seek to oppress Islam.

This made Deoband attractive to all who sought to fight the west for
its real and imaginary persecution of Muslims. The "foreign jihadis"
fighting in Iraq claim to be inspired by Deobandi teachings. Pakistani
militant groups such as Jaish−e−Muhammad and Harkat−e−Islam, accused
of kidnapping and suicide bombings, follow the Deobandi school of
thought. The Taliban, from both Afghanistan and Pakistan, were
educated in Deobandi seminaries. When aspiring terrorists go to
Pakistan to study "Islam", they go to Deobandi establishments. Here in
Britain, the Deo bandis are the second−largest group of south Asian
Muslims. They control numerous mosques, some of which, allegedly,
harbour young militants.

Fatwa against terrorism 1

 Fatwa against terrorism

What the Deobandi scholars say about terrorism resonates. And this is
what they say: "In Islam, creating social discord or disorder, breach
of peace, rioting, bloodshed, pillage or plunder and killing of
innocent persons anywhere in the world are all considered most inhuman
crimes." Those who use the Quran or the sayings of the Prophet
Muhammad to justify terrorism are perpetuating a lie. The very purpose
of Islam, the fatwa says, is "to wipe out all kinds of terrorism and
to spread the message of global peace". Muslims should not co−operate
with people who spread the lie of terrorism; and those who do are
"committing sin or oppression".

A fatwa is the legal opinion of an individual scholar − and, as such,

it can be dismissed by other religious scholars. This fatwa, however,
is signed not just by Maulana Habibur Rahman, the grand mufti of
Deoband, but also by his three deputies. It comes from an institution
and not an individual. "In the theological universe, it is the
equivalent of a verdict of a full constitutional bench of a Supreme
Court," says Javed Anand, the Mumbai−based Muslim activist.

But the Deoband scholars went further. To announce the fatwa, they
organised a conference on "Anti−Terrorism and Global Peace". Held on
31 May at the Ramlila Ground in Delhi, the conference brought together
all the main Muslim organisations, such as Jamaat−e−Islami Hind and
the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. Vir tually all the Muslim
sects in India, including Wahhabis, Sufis and Barelvis, were
represented. Estimates of those attending vary from 10,000 to 70,000.
One thing is certain: it was the greatest assembly of beards ever seen
in India.

The gathering declared that jihad and terrorism have no connection.

The very idea of a terrorist glorying in violence and describing
himself as a jihadi was denounced as an abomination. The conference
saw terrorism as the greatest threat facing Muslim societies today.
Finally, all the mullahs present signed an oath of allegiance: "We are
bound by the fatwa of Darul Uloom Deoband and undertake that we shall
condemn terrorism and spread Islam's message of global peace."

This fatwa, I suspect, will be much quoted in the coming years. Its
importance lies not just in what it says, but in who is saying it. A
fatwa, made binding through the oath of allegiance, is in my opinion
canny and unparalleled in history. Every mosque in Britain, Deobandi
or otherwise, should proudly display the ruling. We should start a
campaign to sign up to the oath of allegiance − and proclaim from the
rooftops that Islam has within itself the will and resources to end
the abomination of violence. I will be happy to be the first to
scribble my signature.
.

Fatwa against terrorism 2