LUCKNOW, Feb 25: Muslim scholars on Monday condemned terrorism as
un-Islamic. They issued the edict at a leading madressah in northern
India which some believe inspired the Taliban movement, a senior
cleric said.
A declaration by scholars and clerics representing different sects of
Islam also called on the government to ensure Muslims were not
harassed in the name of terrorism, Maulana Shaukat told reporters.
Speaking from the 150-year-old Darul-Uloom Deoband in Saharanpur,
435km from the Uttar Pradesh capital, he said about 20,000 scholars
and clerics took part.
The declaration said: "Islam is a religion of mercy for all humanity.
Islam sternly condemns all kinds of oppression, violence and
terrorism.
"It has regarded oppression, mischief, rioting and murder among
severest sins and crimes. Islam prohibits killing of innocent people."
The group called on the government to ensure "the Muslim community are
not harassed and tortured in the name of terrorism".
Adil Siddiqui, another spokesman for the Deoband school, noted that
"whenever there is any incident of terrorism, every possible attempt
is made to link it to Muslims, particularly who have studied in
madressahs. This is totally wrong."
The declaration comes after several incidents of global terrorism
involving Indian Muslims. The most prominent is Kafeel Ahmed, an
Indian aeronautical engineer, who died during a botched attempt to
attack Glasgow airport in June last year.
His brother Sabeel, a doctor, is also being investigated by British
police over his alleged involvement in the Glasgow attack. Charges
against a third Indian, Mohammed Haneef, a doctor working at a
hospital in Australia's Gold Coast, collapsed.
Political analyst Rasheed Kidwai welcomed the declaration, saying: "In
the Indian context, the declaration is significant as it reflects the
growing anxiety among the clergy over the involvement of some Indians
in alleged terror plots."—AFP
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