Muslim Ulema Oppose Extremist Interpretation of Religion

Chennai: The Muslim Ulema has condemned the Peshawar school massacre and appealed to all Muslims to speak out against extremist interpretations of religion, as this was the only way to simultaneously eliminate Islamophobia and religious fanatics. “What saddens us most is that this ruthless crime was carried out in the name of Islam, which means peace, and whose Prophet was an embodiment of compassion,” six prominent clerics said in a signed statement last fortnight.
The signatories to the statement are Maulana Hafeez ur Rahman Omeri, Omerabad (Tamil Nadu), Maulana Abdul Khaliq Nadvi, Chennai, Ghulam Mohammed Mehdi, Chief Kazi (Shia), Tamil Nadu, Maulana Waris Mazhari, Department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, Hyderabad, Maulana Mohammad Muzaffar, president, Milli Council, Bengaluru and Maulana R K Noor Madni, Jami’at Ahl-e-Hadith, Chennai. “We have no doubt whatsoever that depraved criminals who justify the shooting of innocent children at point blank range in the name of Islam are not Muslims. It is not enough to condemn their inhumanity. The brutish dogma that allows them to indulge in extreme violence and thereby defame Islam must also be strongly condemned,” they said. Islam prohibits Muslims from attacking women, children and the elderly even in a state of war, they pointed out.
The Quran makes it very clear in the fifth chapter that if anyone kills an innocent human being it shall be as if he had killed all mankind. In the same chapter, Muslims are warned: “O Believers! Stand out firmly for Allah as witnesses to fair dealing; let not hatred for any community cause you to deviate from justice”.
They said the action of Tehreek-e-Taliban in Peshawar was “most un-Islamic, unjust and barbaric and therefore, unforgivable”. It was not just an attack on students, but an attack on the very idea of education. “Our sincere prayers for the innocents killed and heartfelt condolences to their families,” they added.
(TNN)