Over 100,000 Islamic scholars have issued a fatwa or a ruling on a point of Islamic law, declaring militancy and terrorism in the name of Islam as ‘haram or impermissible’.
Published : 18 Jun 2016, 08:23 PM
The scholars say even funeral prayers of militants are impermissible and those who lose their lives for standing up against militancy will be recognised as martyrs.
Maulana Farid Uddin Masud, the chairman of Islamic scholars’ organisation Bangladesh Jamiyatul Ulama, pronounced the fatwa at a media conference in Dhaka on Saturday.
Maulana Masud, the imam of Bangladesh’s largest Eid congregation held in Kishoreganj’s Sholakia, said ‘some’ of the militants and terrorists were ‘wrong’ to identify themselves as ‘jihadists’.
“Islam is the religion of peace...Islam doesn’t support terrorism,” Maulana Masud said.
Referring to the Quran and Hadith, he said the suicide attackers will be cast in hell.
“Even taking part in funeral prayers of terrorists, militants, covert killers is haram. And those killed for their stance against militancy will be martyrs,” he added.
According to Maulana Masud, 101,524 muftis, alims and ulamas have signed the fatwa.
The fatwa is issued amidst a spate of killings of writers, bloggers, online activists, and people of different religious and social views by suspected Islamic radicals.