LONDON - 19 July 2005 - 256 words
British Muslims issue fatwa against terrorism
Claire Bergin
More than 500 British Muslim religious leaders
and scholars issued a fatwa in response to the London bombs yesterday.
Around 50 Muslim religious leaders from the British Muslim Forum stood together by the Houses of Parliament to hear the fatwa read out.
The decree expresses condolences to the families of the victims of the atrocity and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.
It Islam condemns the use of violence and the destruction of innocent lives and says suicide bombings are "vehemently prohibited".
Gul Mohammad, secretary general of the BMF, quoted the Koran saying: "Whoever kills a human being ... then it is as though he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a human life it is as though he had saved all mankind."
He went on: "Islam's position is clear and unequivocal: murder of one soul is the murder of the whole of humanity; he who shows no respect for human life is an enemy of humanity.
"We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism in the world.
"We pray for the peace, security and harmony to triumph in multicultural Great Britain."
The BMF is an umbrella group launched in March 2005 with nearly 300 mosques affiliated to it.
The fatwa will be read out in mosques across the country on Friday.
Another public statement, denouncing the
suicide bombings, was made by more than 40 Islamic leaders and
scholars at a meeting at London's Islamic Cultural Centre, organised
by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
© Independent Catholic
News 2005
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