Islamic Scholar Condemns Terrorism

The Islamic scholar who issued a powerful fatwa, or religious ruling, against terrorism and suicide bombers said Thursday that he was not afraid of reprisals from his enemies and did not fear for his life.

"I am not afraid of any human being on the surface of Earth," Sheikh Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

"I am working ... to bridge up the Muslim world and the Western world, to remove the hatreds, to remove all misunderstandings."

"So this is a good cause. I am not afraid of anybody. It depends upon whatever my Lord wants. If I have to live, I will live. Otherwise, I am not afraid."

Ul-Qadri was speaking to CNN just over a week after he issued a 600-page fatwa in London denouncing terrorists as "the biggest enemies of Islam."

In his fatwa, ul-Qadri also said suicide bombers are destined for hell and strongly criticized Islamic extremists who cite Islam to justify violence.

"Terrorism and violence cannot be considered to be permissible in Islam on the basis of any excuse," he said.

"Any good intention or any mistake of foreign policy of any country or any pretext cannot legalize the act of terrorism."

Ul-Qadri told Amanpour he does not believe his message will reach the small number of radicals who have already been brainwashed. But he said hundreds of thousands of youths who are on the path, or have the potential to be radicalized, will listen to his fatwa.

Source : http://www.generalforum.com/political-news/islamic-scholar-condemns-terrorism-70650.html