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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