Sunday, January 13, 2013

In Kandahar, Afghan Clerics Issue Fatwa Against Taliban Suicide Bombings



by MEMRI




On December 26, 2012, Afghan clerics held a conference in Kandahar city where they issued a fatwa against suicide bombings being carried out by Taliban militants across Afghanistan. The clerics called on Afghan youth to reject suicide bombings. The conference was attended by a number of Islamic scholars and Sufi mystics.

The Kandahar Governor's Media Office issued a statement regarding the fatwa. Following is the text of the press statement, translated from the Pashtu version:
"Kandahar Ulema Shura Islam Terms Suicide [Attacks] As Haram
"December 27, 2012

"Kandahar, Afghanistan: Issuing a comprehensive fatwa [against suicide attacks], the Ulema Shura of Kandahar province yesterday termed suicide attacks contrary to the faith of Islam and strongly condemned these attacks.

"A large meeting was organized in the Ulema Shura [office in Kandahar] yesterday. Besides scholars of Kandahar City, Ulema from the districts and surrounding provinces were also invited to the meeting. All attending agreed that the sacred faith of Islam and the Koran considers suicide haram [forbidden] and strictly prohibits Muslims from this act.

"Qari Bashir Ahmad, acting chief of Kandahar Ulema and Mystics, said [on the occasion] that Allah has barred human beings from killing themselves as well as other people, and orders strict punishment for those who do so. 'Allah Has declared the killing of a single human as the killing of entire humanity. So, a human being must avoid this practice and prove to be a real Muslim,' he stated.
"He strongly condemned the death of innocent people in the recent suicide attacks and termed them against the faith, the religion, and the culture, and against Islamic and human manners. Qari Bashir urged the Afghans, especially those who maintain a distance and are being used by the opposition groups [i.e. militants] in suicide attacks, to deeply study the faith of Islam and to stop this useless practice.

"Other religious scholars also termed suicide attacks haram in light of the Koran and Hadith [sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad], and challenged the Ulema of the world who advocate these attacks."

Source: A copy of the press statement was released to all journalists and is available upon request.


MEMRI

Source: http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6928.htm

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

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