Getting such a wide group of clerics together for a fatwa is quite an achievement..
Suicide attacks are haram, clerics decree
Say killing people has nothing to do with Islam
Deny religious organisations training students to kill people
Staff Report
LAHORE: Fifty-eight clerics belonging to different schools of thought on Tuesday gave a unanimous ‘fatwa’ (decree) according to which considering suicide attacks a kind of jihad was ‘haram’ (forbidden) and disallowed in Islam.
Mufti Muneebur Rehman, Pakistan Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairman, told a press conference on Tuesday that the group of clerics had also said a man or a woman would not be considered Muslim if they took part in a suicide attack thinking he or she had God’s blessings.
Seven senior clerics from different parts of the country were also at the conference.
Muneebur Rehman also said planting bombs, attacking mosques or other places of worship or even public places were also haram in Islam. He said killing human beings had nothing to do with Islam and dispelled the impression that religious organisations trained their students to carry out such activities. He said no religious institutions could give such training to its students.
Clerics also said struggling for freedom within the ambit of international law was justified.
Allama Muhammad Hussain Akbar, Allama Ubaidullah Ashrafi, Qari Muhammad Hanif Jallundary, Maulana Abdul Malik Abdul Mustafa Hazarvi, Muhammad Rafique Hasni and Mufti Muhammad Khan Qadri were also at the clerical meeting.
This meeting was the result of Minister of State for Religious Affairs Aamir Liaqat Hussain’s continuous efforts to build consensus between the clerics of Pakistan on the subject.
Exactly, where were they from the past 60 years when they were doig it against the poor Jews? For Americans they can even say that the Quran is not the word of God. These are the same scholars who say that you can’t sell drugs, but it is okay to grow poppies and weed.
Pakistani Islamic scholars and muftis are good for one thing, ask them who makes the best beryani.
A Muslim's life is worth more than any number of non-Muslims. In that sense, the fatwa makes sense.
Having said that, the circumstances and the timing of the fatwa seem a bit suspicious.
why jail i say death penalty…
BTW if a person dies (commits suicide) while doing suicide bombing how should he/she be punished? If not him then who should be punished?
Scholars in Pakistan were normally very reluctant to support suicide bombings, which is why they rarely happpened in the region until around 2000/2001. In Kashmir, for instance, while mujahideen commonly went into one-sided firefights against impossible odds in which they were martyred, through the 1990s and even today suicide bombings are rare, if not unheard of.
In the subcontinent, they tend to only happen against Pakistani politicians and Pakistani shia muslims.
I had one very religious Muslim friend at university who was vehemently opposed to suicide bombings as being unislamic, ever since I met him in 1999. I think the scholars he followed on the issue were from the Tableeghi Jamaat, but I'm not sure.
Absolving Muslim community of any responsibility these guys have always declared such suicide attackers non-Muslims…Two problems here (1) Under what authority can a Muslim declare another non-muslim and (2) such acts are carried out by those who are driven by religious fervor, therefor denying their muslim identity is a convienient way of shifting responsibility.
Clerics are trying to protect their fraternity by absolving madarsas of any responsibility…
Good for them, it’s a start. Unfortunately these are not the clerics that will be listened to by the radical, but in all this is a positive step.
Now folks, when I accuse Muslims of being self-absorbed, or Muslim-centric, or treating others like second class citizens, please keep the moronic post above in mind.
Do you just think he picked up that attitude all by himself?
He really doesn't impress me as the kind of original thinker to come up with that on his own. Never mind the stupidity of mouthing it here, presumably thinking that folks would agree with him, and understand his thought process...
Wake up and smell the coffee mate. A very recent example for you. When a couple of thousand Americans were killed during the 911 attacks, they deprived hundreds of thousands of Afghans of their lives. Do you think the life of those Afghans were worth as much to the Americans.
Atleast with Muslims, we know know why we value our brothers’ lives more. Simply because they’re worth more to God. It’s not being self-centered, it’s being selfless. Try this for fun some time. Ask a good Muslim who has a non-Muslim blood brother whether he values his brother’s life over another Muslim. See what you gather.
OG – A person can decide for him/her self too. And they can also pick it up from another person or other people. But you throwing all Muslims into one group was equally silly. That is all i am saying. I do not judge you based on all of America. I judge you as an individual. As a Muslim , I prefer to be judged in the same manner. Know what I mean? As for judging is wrong etc, we all do it , so I wont deny it either.
There are a lot of people who do not impress me with their ways of thinking. I dont jump the gun and attack the billions of other people of their faith.
Seminole – A life is a life. No one’s is worth more or less.
Show me somewhere where "Hundreds of Thousands" of Afghans were killed. (This should be fun)
And please explain further why you think a Muslims life is worth more than a non-muslim. Its worth more to GOD? Any Quranic reference you are using to prove that you are worth more to GOD?
And MQ, this fellow just told me that he believes a Muslim life is worth more to God. Personally I agree with you, all lives are equal. However this chap somehow feels that there is a religious imperative that makes Muslim lives more valuable to God? I look forward to that explaination
