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"How come that people who neither
carry a weapon nor participate in war against Muslims practically or
verbally are killed?" Qaradawi asked.
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By Mohammad Sabry, IOL Staff
CAIRO, July 24, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) The
International Association of Muslim Scholars (IAMS) condemned Sunday, July
25, the latest series of attacks that rocked the Egyptian Red Sea resort
of Sharm El-Sheikh, London and elsewhere as running counter to the
merciful teachings of Islam.
"The IAMS was really appalled to see the bloody
incidents both inside and outside the Muslim world such as those that took
place in Egypt, London, Turkey,
and other countries, which left behind great numbers of innocent civilian
casualties, who were killed in cold blood without any sin committed on
their part" renowned scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the IAMS chairman,
said in a statement sent to IslamOnline.net.
Writing from his sickbed, Qaradawi said Islam
prohibits the killing of people, except fighting, which is restricted to
face-to-face confrontation between Muslims and the army of the
aggressors.
"How come that people who neither carry a weapon nor
participate in war against Muslims practically or verbally are
killed?"
The prominent scholar hoped that the statement "will
help free Islam from the baseless accusations ascribed to it among which
are torture, killing, displacement, exemplary punishment, suppression, and
violation of the sanctity of others."
He went on: "This will also help us refute the claims
of those who are deviating from the straight path of Islam and are
changing its teachings from their proper contexts."
Qaradawi was one of the first
Muslim scholars to condemn the bloody London attacks.
Prohibited
Qaradawi, known for moderate views, stressed that such
grisly incidents are prohibited by the Islamic Shari`ah.
"All divine religions in general and Islam in
particular assert the sanctity of human life and strongly prohibit
aggression against it.
"All divine religions clearly state that the blood of
all human beings is sacred and unlawful to shed unless the human being
himself committed a criminal act or caused corruption in the land or
transgressed against the lives of others," he averred.
The prominent scholar asserted that Islam considers
the killing of other people as one of the gravest of sins in the sight of
Allah.
"Such heinous sin and abominable crime lead to Allahs
curse in this world and His severe punishment in the Hereafter.
"In addition, committing such a crime is a strong
support for the application of retaliation or qisas on the
perpetrator and it makes no difference whether the one they killed is a
Muslim or a non-Muslim."
He said people who have an interim pledge with
Muslims, such as those who enter Islamic territories through the state
authorities or any other recognized body such as travel agencies, have a
pledge of security and it is prohibited to make any violation or
cancellation of this individual pledge.
"Islam considers the act of issuing an entrance visa
to a tourist to be a pledge of security given to this tourist, and hence
it categorically prohibits transgressing the security given to
tourist."
Terrorizing
The IAMS chairman underlined that Islam also prohibits
terrorizing the secured and terrifying the peaceful.
"Islam considers it a basic right that everyone enjoys
security regarding himself, his family, his property, his religion, and
all other special rights that man strives to protect."
Qaradawi said Shari`ah basically asserts openly that
every man is responsible for his own actions, mistakes, and
crimes.
"Based on this, it is not permissible to punish the
innocents because of an act committed by the guilty or to punish the group
for a sin committed by a handful of its individuals."
He went on: "Shari`ah has nothing to do with the acts
of those few deviated people who follow its teachings but change them from
their proper contexts. They claim to punish people because of injustices
done by their rulers."
A statement issued by over forty leading mosque imams,
muftis and scholars representing all sections of Muslims in Britain
stressed that "there can never be any
excuse for taking an
innocent life".
The scholars asserted that those behind the July 7
London bombings cannot consider themselves martyrs.
Injustices
Sheikh Qaradawi said the condemnation of such bombings
and devastating acts doesn't mean a justification of the injustices and
tragedies against Muslims in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other
Muslim countries.
"As Muslims, we should resist these injustices and
tragedies using legitimate means.
"It is not permissible to take the occurrence of such
injustices as a pretext to perpetrate criminal acts.
The prominent scholar added: "The IAMS calls for
mutual cooperation between the rulers and the ruled to stand together to
face these immense threats imposed on the whole Muslim Ummah. Such threats
require concerted efforts to be done in order to achieve mutual
aims."
Other Condemnation
The Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA), now
meeting in Sokoto, Nigeria, also slammed as "un-Islamic" Sharm El-Sheikh
blasts and London bombings.
"The conveners, shocked by the news of the terrorist
bombings in Sharm El-Sheikh and similar attacks elsewhere, announce that
these acts are not justified by Islam and are condemned by all faiths,"
the AMJA said in a statement read out by its chairman Hussein Hamed
Hassan.
"Islam forbids such bombings and acts of sabotage and
violence and considers them a war against Allah and his
Prophet."
The statement called on people involved in carrying
out such acts of violence and bombings to repent and ask forgiveness of
Allah.
The AMJA is a non-for-profit tax-exempt scientific
organization comprising a select group of Muslim jurists and scholars,
seeking to manifest and clarify the rulings of Shari`ah concerning issues
and events affecting Muslims residing in the US.
Click to read the full
statement
Also read:
Aggression Against Innocent
People(Q&A)
Islams Stance on Killing Captives
Even
in Retaliation
Ethics Must Be Honored
