DENOUNCING TERROR - Indian imams issue fatwa against IS
Bharti Jain
New Delhi
TNN
Over 1,000 Islamic Scholars Condemn Brutal Killings By The Group, Seek Revolution
In what is being projected as the “biggest fatwa (religious edict)“ against Islamic State (IS) by Indian Islamic scholars, as many as 1,050 muftis and imams from all over the country have jointly condemned the killing of innocent people by IS and posting of images and videos of the crimes online as “un-Islamic“ and contrary to the tenets of to the tenets of Shariat.
Among the prominent imams and organizations that signed the fatwa, issued last month, are Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Ulema Council of India, Ajmer Dargah, Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, Darul Uloom Mohammadiya, Jamiatul Ulema Maharashtra, Jamiat Ahle Hadees Mumbai, Raza Academy , All India Tanzeem Ammay-e-Masjid, Aamil Sahab Dawoodi Bohra, Sayed Zahir Abbas Rizvi Zainabya and Moin Ashraf Sahab Kachocha Dargah.
The fatwa was shared with United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon on August 15. “We filed a petition before the Islamic scholars about the said acts of IS (killing innocent people, clicking their images or re cording videos and posting them online) and in a fitting reply more than a 1,000 muftis and imams stated that it is absolutely un-Islamic and inhuman,“ said Dr Abdul Rahim Anjaria, chief adviser of Darul Uloom Ali Hasan Ahle Sunnat who had moved the petition.
The fatwa, which fits in with India's strategy to promote moderate schools of Islam as a counter to the extre mist ideology of IS, was issued based on this petition.
“We, the people of India, request the secretary general to uphold this fatwa as an example to the world. This could be the commencement for a revolution to encourage other countries to come forward and denounce... organizations like IS for the sake of global harmony , world peace and for the generations to come,“ wrote Anjaria.
Through the fatwa, also shared with the heads of state of around 47 countries including the US, the UK, China, France, the UAE and Turkey , the clerics have ruled as “absurd“ the IS claims that its violent acts were Islamic and done lawfully as per Shariat.
“In fact, by the un-Islamic and inhuman views and practices, the representatives of this terrorist organization have evidently proved that it has no relations with Islam or its teachings,“ Anjaria said.
Jurist Mohammed Manzar Hasan Khan Ashrafi Masbahi said, “Islam never permits such unlawful act (of killing children, woman and old people)... the holy Quran has declared killing of one innocent life as killing humanity.“
The fatwa comes even as 17 Indians have been recruited by IS and 25 others prevented from joining the global terror outfit. The number of Indians with IS links have now swelled further with the detention of 13 Indians by the UAE in early August for planning to join IS and arranging logistics for other youth keen to be part of the outfit. On Monday , home minister Rajnath Singh had conceded that the threat from IS was `a matter of serious concern.'
