Times Columns : Islamic fatwa: Suicide bombers will go to hell

March 02, 2010

Dr Mohammed Tahir-ul-Qadri today in London launched his fatwa against suicide bombers, explaining in the 600-page document why Islamist terrorists will go to hell. Watch it in English here. Read the TimesOnline news story today here, and also the earlier one we published in January, previewing today's historic event. The video above shows Dr ul-Qadri launching the fatwa in his home country of Canada. Go here for part two of the video.

Jerome Taylor, religious affairs correspondent for The Independent, has written a good version here with some useful background.

He writes: 'Although numerous fatwas condemning terrorism have been released by scholars around the world since 9/11, Shaikh Dr Qadri’s 600-page ruling is both significant and unusual because it is one of the few available in English and online. Those hoping to combat terrorism have long spoken of their frustration at the traditional Islamic hierarchy’s inability to exert their influence on the internet where violent jihadists and Saudi-influence Wahabis have long reigned supreme.

'Until recently English speaking Muslims could easily obtain fatwas justifying suicide bombings and terrorism, but many would have struggled to locate the much more mainstream opinion that such attacks are not justified. Shaikh Dr Qadri’s ruling is unlikely to sway committed extremists who view any form of dissent from their uncompromising theological outlook as takfir, a sign of unbelief. But counter terrorism officials and mainstream scholars hope it will help persuade those who may be moving towards a violent extremism but have yet to fully devote themselves to terrorism. Within the British Pakistani community Shaikh Dr Qadri - and his grassroots organisation Minhaj-ul Quran – is well known and respected. He is a "shaikh ul-Islam", one of the highest positions in Islamic jurisprudence, and the UK branch of Minhaj boasts some 25,000 signed up members, most of whom hail from the British Pakistani community'

Dr ul-Qadri's biography is an amazing testimony to courage.

'.....within a short span of time he emerged as the country’s leading Islamic jurist and scholar and revivalist of the Islamic ideology. He was appointed as a Jurist Consult (legal adviser) on Islamic law for the Supreme Court and the Federal Shari`a Court of Pakistan and also worked as a specialist adviser on Islamic curricula for the Federal Ministry of Education of Pakistan. At various times between 1983-1987, he was offered the positions of Senator for the Upper House of Parliament, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Federal Minister for Education and the Federal Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs. He was also nominated as ambassador for Pakistan as well as being offered the post of Justice of the Appellate Shari`a Bench, Supreme Court of Pakistan and the position of being a member of the Islamic Ideology Council of Pakistan (highest constitutional body for Islamic legislation). All of these positions were offered by the then president of Pakistan.

'However, Shaykh-ul-Islam refused to accept any of these offers due to his colossal, profound and lifelong commitment to the cause of peace, both regional and global. He designed his peace dynamics carefully and launched Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI) as a peace phenomena envisaging the realization of his goal of peace through religious moderation and integration, an international process of ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, development of womenfolk as a dynamic peace force, promotion of humanitarian behavior through welfare and altruistic programmes, conflict resolution, mass education and spread of message of love for humanity, promoting culture of Prophetic love and mystic teachings, scientific interpretation of Islam and vast scale research work dedicated to the fairy of peace. Working in all these multiple fields of international activity simultaneously in-country and abroad included some of his most significant ventures in the field of education, activation of womenfolk, propagation of the true identity of Islamic faith in the perspective of world peace, and reviving the Prophetic version of Islamic and Quranic teachings through electronic and print media. He was to reawaken in the Muslim Umma the real spirit of Islam to make possible the dawn of peace all around the world.'

Source : http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2010/03/islamic-fatwa-suicide-bombers-will-go-to-hell.html