Fatwa against terrorists

[Jedi]

The beginning of the end of the war of terror has started. Mullahs in
India have issued a fatwa unequivocally denouncing terrorism. So far,
the international media have failed to notice, which is not
surprising: the levers for changing Muslim minds have been a mystery
to governments and media alike. The mullahs I speak of are not just
any old mullahs: they are Deobandi mullahs.

The name Deoband, a small town in Uttar Pradesh, India, conjures awe
and reverence in many Muslim minds. Established in 1866, Darul Uloom
("house of knowledge") Deoband is a religious seminary, second in
importance only to al-Azhar in Cairo. The scholars who established it
led the 1857 revolt against the British. Over the past century, the
institution has played a leading role in fighting all the "isms", from
imperialism and communism to neocolonialism. The Deo band brand is
associated with standing up to those who seek to oppress Islam.

What the Deobandi scholars say about terrorism resonates. And this is
what they say: "In Islam, creating social discord or disorder, breach
of peace, rioting, bloodshed, pillage or plunder and killing of
innocent persons anywhere in the world are all considered most inhuman
crimes." Those who use the Quran or the sayings of the Prophet
Muhammad to justify terrorism are perpetuating a lie. The very purpose
of Islam, the fatwa says, is "to wipe out all kinds of terrorism and
to spread the message of global peace". Muslims should not co-operate
with people who spread the lie of terrorism; and those who do are
"committing sin or oppression".

Complete article at
http://www.newstatesman.com/religion/2008/06/terrorism-fatwa-india-islam