Isis: Leading British Muslims issue fatwa condemning terror group
Source: The Belfast Telegraph (NI)
Declaration is strongest condemnation yet of those who 'betray their own societies'
31 August 2014
Muslim leaders have issued a fatwa condemning Islamic extremist group Isis, and have said that British jihadis are betraying their own societies by getting involved in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.
The fatwa represents the British Muslim communitys strongest denunciation of Isis yet, calling the extremist group heretical and an oppressive and tyrannical group.
According to The Sunday Times, the fatwa, authored by Sheik Usama Hasan, a former imam from east London, and supported by six senior Islamic scholars across the country, says it is religiously prohibited (haram) to support or join Isis.
Though Muslims have a moral obligation to help the Syrian and Iraqi people, they must do so without betraying their own societies, the fatwa states....
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/isis-leading-british-muslims-issue-fatwa-condemning-terror-group-30550913.html
cheapdate
(3,811 posts)WHEN ARE WESTERN MUSLIMS GOING TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ISLAMIC TERRORISM?!?
(that's irony, by the way.)
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)Blessed are the peacemakers . . .
Sopkoviak
(357 posts)CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)His small band of followers have their fingers in a lot of extremist pies all over the world.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)He has this whole publicity gig of saying whatever outrageous bullshit will get him on camera at a given time. That FOX and CNN and the others give him airtime like this is fucking embarrassing. I'd rather hear about MA370 being abducted by aliens over the Indian Ocean some more.
treestar
(82,383 posts)According to right wingers!
They will ignore this, of course.
Igel
(35,320 posts)Both Muslims and RWers.
This may dissuade some Muslims from being war tourists or going off to kill the kaffir. It won't dissuade all of them, given how Islam is structured in terms of distributed and decentralized authority.
To portray this as the definitive response, instead of a contribution to a decent response, is to mistake part for whole.
We'll skip that ISIS has been around for well over a year, or what's been happening in Iraq has been going on since February. This isn't a response to IS, but to adverse publicity. If the imams and scholars involved were really concerned, this wouldn't have been dated late August 2014 but 2013 or before. This isn't to diss the contribution, it's to put it in context. They know that they have little authority with the men that are likely to leave and fight. Such fatawa tend to be absent until there's a PR problem that a fatwa would alleviate. As a contribution towards peace, or even to just stopping valiant Muslim warriors from fighting for the ummah and in defense of the khalifa, it's not a particularly strong one.
Even then it's worded as a betrayal of their society, not as something that is implicitly wrong. One must be at peace with the society that allows you the freedom to worship Allah and offers you protection, it's a kind of covenant; one must not undermine it unless directly commanded to do so. There is no obligation to fight for IS. While good in saying this isn't jihad, but an optional conflict, those who consider it jihad will dismiss this because jihad is obligatory. Moreover, the way that this betrays British society is a bit unclear.
It's rather like the archbishop of Canterbury issuing a ruling concerning GLBT rights in response to something that some Southern Baptist group is doing, and then our saying, "Gee, isn't Xianity great!" It's not like Southern Baptists are bound to abide by the archbishop's ruling or even notice it. It might say something about Xianity, were that possible, but since there is no one Xianity to say much about it would be a mistake. We know that about Xianity. Jubilation over this fatwa, making it more important than it is, would be based on lack of knowledge. Hardly something to celebrate.
Similarly, this says that Muslims don't all support ISIS. This might have some weight with some young men. It might have a greater affect on any zakat that might go to ISIS, but the timing isn't felicitous. Eidhul adha isn't not for a while, IIRC, and Ramadan's recently over.
Rhinodawg
(2,219 posts).
Bragi
(7,650 posts)I thought there were a small number of prominent high-level Islamic authorities who could issue fatwas. Yes?
sadoldgirl
(3,431 posts)or late. I am waiting for the imams in continental Europe to follow suit, until then I am a skeptic.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Because of course, just as all Jews worldwide must be held accountable for the actions of israel, so too must Muslims around hte world be held to task for ISIS. Right? I mean that's how it works, right? Seriously, I mean you DO blame world Christendom for the killing of Dr. Tiller, right?
No? Special case, just for Muslims? I see.