The Australian : Fatwa condemns terrorists

March 04, 2010 12:00AM

LONDON: A leading Muslim scholar in Britain has issued a fatwa condemning terrorists and suicide bombers, saying they had no justification in the name of Islam.

Pakistan-born Tahir ul-Qadri said there were no "ifs or buts" about terrorism, in a news conference attended by officers from London's Metropolitan Police, MPs, charitable organisations and think tanks.

British imams should pronounce suicide bombers as "unbelievers" who are destined for hell, Dr Qadri declared, adding that he wanted to convey the message that acts of terrorism cut people off as true followers of Islam. "They can't claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim Umma (the wider Muslim community)," he said.

"No, they become heroes of hellfire, and they are leading towards hellfire.

"There is no place for any martyrdom and their act is never, ever to be considered jihad."

Dr Qadri said his 600-page fatwa, or religious ruling, was an "absolute" condemnation of terrorism without "any excuses or pretexts".

"Good intentions cannot convert a wrong into good, they cannot convert an evil into good," he said.

"Terrorism is terrorism, violence is violence and it has no place in Islamic teaching and no justification can be provided for it, or any kind of excuses or ifs or buts."

Dr Qadri said Islam was a religion of peace that promotes beauty, betterment, goodness and "negates all form of mischief and strife".

The fatwa will be translated into English and made available online in an attempt to counter extremist versions of Islam available on the internet.

Source : http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/fatwa-condemns-terrorists/story-e6frg6so-1225836700672