July-August 2006 
Year 12    No.117

Cover Story


Fatwa against terror

Why don’t "moderate" Muslims speak out against terrorism in the name of Islam? This is a question that
has been raised from many quarters both within India and abroad in the last few years. It is not that no Muslim voices were raised against acts of terror earlier; 9/11, for example, was denounced by Muslim intellectuals and even clerics with statements and articles such as "My fatwa against the fanatics", "Islam was hijacked on 9/11".

Such denunciations, however, were seen as too few and too far between. And even those who could not be accused of being prejudiced against Muslims and who believed that an entire community cannot be blamed for the acts of a few, publicly or privately expressed unhappiness over the fact that there was a crying need for many more Muslims to speak out.

Within India, for several years now, virtually every Muslim religious organisation worth the name, with the exception of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), has repeatedly denounced acts of terror in unambiguous language as "barbaric", "inhuman", "cowardly" and "un-Islamic". Unfortunately, these statements have remained confined to the pages of Urdu newspapers. As a result, the complaint continues about moderate Muslims not speaking out.

The fact, however, is that going beyond statements and denunciations, the last years have seen a spate of fatwas being issued against terrorism. (Not any maulvi, maulana or imam is authorised to issue a fatwa. A fatwa, properly speaking, is a legal opinion that can only be issued by a mufti trained in Islamic jurisprudence.)

Given below is a chronology of fatwas issued against terrorism in the last few years:

August 17, 2003

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Clerics headed by the kingdom’s highest religious authority, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al Sheikh, issues a fatwa that says: "It is necessary under Shariah law to severely punish those carrying out acts of sabotage and depravity like bombings and murder and destruction of property. These are dangerous crimes and an aggression against human life and wealth.

"And those who claim sabotage, bombings and murder are jihad, they are ignorant and misguided because these acts have nothing to do with jihad for the sake of god."

The Council "…declares its support for the actions being taken by the state to track down terrorists in an effort to shield the country from their actions."

http://mostlyafrica.blogspot.com/2003/08/saudi-arabia-fatwa-against-terrorism.html

‘A jihad is to secure for people their rights,
terrorism snatches them away’

Fatwa on terrorism issued by Mufti Fuzail-ur-Rahman Hilal Usmani

Pronounced in person at a public meeting, "Citizens against Terror", organised by Citizens for Justice and Peace, Muslims for Secular Democracy, Communalism Combat and others in Mumbai on July 27, 2006.

Mufti Usnmani on the dais with Mahant Veer Bhadra Mishra of the ancient Sankat Mochan Mandir, Varanasi that was targeted by extremists on March 7, 2006. "There is no place for hatred (ghrinda) or krodh (rage) in Hinduism", said the Mahant who played an admirable part in maintaining communal harmony in Varanasi after the blasts at the Mumbai meeting to felicitate Mumbaikars who went out of their way to the rescue of the victims of the blasts.

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

There is a world of difference between an Islamic jihad and terrorism. In Islam, a jihad is that ultimate stage when, struggling in the path of Allah in pursuit of a noble and sacred task, a Momin stakes his very life. He does this to break the shackles of slavery so that human beings can be free, so that they enjoy the freedom of expression, the freedom of conscience and all those other fundamental rights that the almighty in his grace and mercifulness has with a special purpose willed for all mankind. Jihad in Islam is a temporary reformative instrument intended to establish enduring peace and social security.

In total contrast to this, terrorism is aimed at terrorising people, at creating a climate of terror that snatches away from people their right to life and the right to move around freely.

In other words,

A jihad secures for people their basic rights while terrorism snatches away these very rights and freedoms from them.

Every human life is precious in Islam. The killing of even one innocent person is akin to the massacre of all mankind. Terrorism, on the other hand, plays with the lives of innocent people who have done no wrong. In Islam, as in any other civilised social order, acts of terror are nothing but heinous and despicable crimes.

It is oft said that everything is permitted in love and war. But Islam strictly prohibits transgressing the boundaries of human decency even in situations of war. By establishing a code to be followed in battle, Islam has shown to the world that a war must be seen as nothing more than an unavoidable surgical operation for a patient in dire need. That is why, even during war, Islam expressly forbids the targeting of others’ places of worship, of innocent civilian population, or of hospitals. The destruction of standing crops, the chopping of trees, the poisoning of water sources or of the atmosphere is also strictly prohibited.

Islam aims to create a just and peaceful social order so that the spring sources of terrorism may be capped. It is the duty of compassionate people all over the world to come forward and help create a fair and just social order so that mankind is freed from the curse of terrorism.

Mufti Fuzail-ur-Rahman Hilal Usmani

Darus Salam Islamic Centre, Maler Kotla, Punjab; Chief Mufti, Punjab;

Darul Uloom, Deoband; Founding member and member, executive committee, All India Muslim Personal Law Board; Member, executive committee, All India Muslim Majlis Mashawarat; Member, All India Milli Council; Member, Court, Aligarh Muslim University

 

June 7, 2004

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s senior religious scholars have issued a fatwa condemning acts of terrorism and calling upon citizens and residents to provide authorities with any information they may have regarding those who plan or prepare to carry out terrorist acts.

The Permanent Committee of Religious Research and Ifta (religious edict), under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia’s leading religious authority, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al Sheikh, issued the fatwa which ruled that such acts are religiously forbidden and considered to be severe forms of injustice. The fatwa stated that these acts disrupt the security of the country, shed innocent blood, terrorise peaceful people and destroy property. The fatwa concluded that it is the duty of everyone to report to the authorities if they have information about the individuals who plan or prepare to carry out terrorist acts.

Saudi Arabia’s leaders have explained that the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia is a critical asset in the nation’s war against al-Qaeda. According to ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan: "It is our own religious establishment that is the authority most qualified to debunk and disprove al-Qaeda’s false claims."

http://www.saudiembassy.net/2004News/Press/PressDetail.asp?cYear=2004&cIndex=217

 

July 28, 2005

United States

The Fiqh Council of North America wishes to reaffirm Islam’s absolute condemnation of terrorism and religious extremism.

Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram – or forbidden – and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not "martyrs".

The Koran, Islam’s revealed text, states: "Whoever kills a person (unjustly) …it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind." (Koran, 5:32)

Prophet Muhammad said there is no excuse for committing unjust acts: "Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well, and that if they do wrong you will do wrong to them. Instead, accustom yourselves to do good if people do good, and not to do wrong (even) if they do evil." (Al-Tirmidhi)

God mandates moderation in faith and in all aspects of life when he states in the Koran: "We made you to be a community of the middle way, so that (with the example of your lives) you might bear witness to the truth before all mankind." (Koran, 2:143)

In another verse, god explains our duties as human beings when he says: "Let there arise from among you a band of people who invite to righteousness, and enjoin good and forbid evil." (Koran, 3:104)

Islam teaches us to act in a caring manner to all of god’s creation. The Prophet Muhammad, who is described in the Koran as "a mercy to the worlds" said: "All creation is the family of god, and the person most beloved by god (is the one) who is kind and caring toward His family."

In the light of the teachings of the Koran and Sunnah we clearly and strongly state:

1. All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam.

2. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.

3. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.

We issue this fatwa following the guidance of our scripture, the Koran, and the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him. We urge all people to resolve all conflicts in just and peaceful manners.

We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism. We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet. We pray that interfaith harmony and cooperation prevail both in the United States and all around the globe.

(The above fatwa issued by the 18-member Fiqh Council of North America was endorsed by 145 American Muslim organisations, mosques and imams on the day the fatwa was made public. Other Muslim organisations were expected to endorse the same subsequently.)

http://www.cair-net.org/downloads/fatwa.htm

 

March 11, 2005

Spain

MADRID, Spain (CNN): Muslim clerics in Spain have issued what they called the world’s first fatwa, or Islamic edict, against Osama bin Laden as the country marked the first anniversary of the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people.

They accused him of abandoning his religion and urged others of their faith to denounce the al-Qaeda leader, who is believed to be hiding out near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The ruling was issued by the Islamic Commission of Spain, the main body representing the country’s one million-member Muslim community. The commission invited imams to condemn terrorism at Friday prayers.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/03/11/madrid.anniversary/

(For further details see CC, May 2005, Cover Story, ‘Islam Reform’, http://www.sabrang.com/cc/archive/2005/may05/cover1.html)

 

July 7, 2005

International Islamic Conference, Jordan

Amman: Leading Muslim scholars meeting in a three-day conference in Amman banned killing in the name of Islam and urged respect for other opinions in the Muslim world.

"We condemn the principle of accusations of apostasy and the legalisation of the assassination of Muslims for religious reasons," the 180 scholars said Wednesday at the end of the first International Islamic Conference in Jordan.

The statement was based on religious edicts, or fatwas, issued by Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi of Al-Azhar in Cairo, the highest Muslim Sunni authority, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the Shiite leader based in Iraq, and Egypt’s Mufti, Sheikh Ali Jumma, as well as other senior leaders in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan.

At the beginning of the conference, Jordan’s King Abdullah II denounced all kinds of religious extremism.

He also urged Muslim states to harmonise their schools of jurisprudence.

"Divisions within the global Islamic community, acts of violence and terrorism and accusations of apostasy and the killing of Muslims in the name of Islam violate the spirit of Islam," he said in an address Monday.

http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=8831

 

July 19, 2005

United Kingdom

London: More than 500 British Muslim religious leaders and scholars issued a fatwa in response to the London bombs yesterday.

Around 50 Muslim religious leaders from the British Muslim Forum stood together by the Houses of Parliament to hear the fatwa read out.

The decree expresses condolences to the families of the victims of the atrocity and wishes the injured a speedy recovery. It says Islam condemns the use of violence and the destruction of innocent lives and says suicide bombings are "vehemently prohibited".

Gul Mohammad, secretary general of the BMF, quoted the Koran saying: "Whoever kills a human being… then it is as though he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a human life it is as though he had saved all mankind."

He went on: "Islam’s position is clear and unequivocal: murder of one soul is the murder of the whole of humanity; he who shows no respect for human life is an enemy of humanity.

"We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism in the world.

"We pray for peace, security and harmony to triumph in multicultural Great Britain."

The BMF is an umbrella group launched in March 2005 with nearly 300 mosques affiliated to it.

The fatwa will be read out in mosques across the country on Friday.

Another public statement, denouncing the suicide bombings, was made by more than 40 Islamic leaders and scholars at a meeting at London’s Islamic Cultural Centre, organised by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/fatwa.html

 

March 13-15, 2006

India

Following the bomb blasts that targeted the ancient Sankat Mochan Mandir and the railway station at Varanasi on March 7, 2006, fatwas are issued against terror from Varanasi, Lucknow and Hyderabad.

(See CC, Jan-March 2006, Cover Story, ‘Provocation and Response’, http://www.sabrang.com/cc/archive/2006/mar06/varanasi/fatwa3.html)

 

June 19, 2006

Canada/Iran

(From the CBC)

Iraq’s top Shia cleric sent a message Wednesday to Muslims in western nations, urging them to obey the laws of the countries in which they live.

The fatwa, a non-binding directive, was delivered at a Montreal news conference of prominent Shia Muslims on behalf of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. "Muslims have undertaken to obey the laws of the country of their residence and thus they must be faithful to that undertaking," the statement read.It condemned all acts of violence and encouraged imams to keep a watchful eye on what’s going on inside their mosques.

A fatwa is a legal opinion or ruling issued by an Islamic scholar.
Muslims are not bound to obey it but many will if they are comfortable with its content, said freelance journalist Zuhair Kashmeri.

The fatwa was drafted in response to the arrests earlier this month of 17 people connected to a bomb plot investigation in southern Ontario. Police allege some of the suspects were inspired by al-Qaeda and its attacks on western targets.

http://www.aimislam.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=313

 

July 20, 2006

Saudi Arabia

One of Saudi Arabia’s leading Wahhabi sheikhs, Abdullah bin Jabreen has issued a strongly worded religious edict, or fatwa, declaring it unlawful to support, join or pray for Hizbollah, the Shiite militias lobbing missiles into northern Israel.

The day after Hizbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers on July 12, Sheikh Hamid al-Ali issued an informal statement titled "The Shariah position on what is going on." In it, the Kuwait-based cleric condemned the imperial ambitions of Iran regarding Hizbollah’s cross-border raid.

The surprising move demonstrates that Sunni Muslim fundamentalists in the Middle East are deeply divided over whether Muslims should support Hizbollah, Iran’s Shiite proxies in the war raging in Lebanon.

While the Gulf’s ascetic Wahhabi sects, who are closer to the ethnic fighting between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, have opposed Hizbollah in its stand against Israel’s forces, other Sunni fundamentalist groups, such as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, have pledged their solidarity. On Friday, the brothers will host a rally in support of Hizbollah at Cairo’s most influential mosque, Al-Azhar.

The profound division between the most violent Muslim enemies of America and Israel may be one reason Arab capitals have not yet exploded in rage about Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon. The White House has already pointed to Jordanian, Egyptian and Saudi government condemnation of Hizbollah. (The Saudi government was subsequently forced to change its stand and take a pro-Hizbollah stand. Whether Abdullah bin Jabreen now regrets having issued this fatwa is not known – Editors.) n

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/saudi-issues-fatwa-against-hezbollah .


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