About 100,000 Muslim clerics sign fatwa against Daesh in Bangladesh

Ulema national association started the initiative. imams, intellectuals, and madrassa teachers signed up. “If the country is badly affected by militancy, we good Muslims will be harmed.”

Dhaka (AsiaNews) – More than 100,000 Muslim clerics in Bangladesh have signed a fatwa condemning Daesh (Islamic State group) militants not only as "enemies of Islam" but also as "enemies of Muslims".

Rajwal Karam, imam at the Bitun Nur Jama mosque in Uttara, a suburb in northern Dhaka, is one of them. As a preacher and follower of Allah, I cannot support any form of chaos,” he told AsiaNews. "Those involved in militancy are acting against Allah. "

Religious leaders adhered to a proposal made last year by the Bangladesh Jamiatul Ulama (BJU), the country’s ulema association.

Ulema, imams, madrassa teachers, and Islamic intellectuals decided to get directly involved in the fight against the spread of extremist ideas in the country.

Those who joined the ‘Fatwa of peace for human well-being’ welcomed the proposal to promote anti-violence attitudes in mosques.

The goal is to answer the questions raised by the militant groups and supporters and answer them “quoting the holy Qur'an and Hadith.”

“Islam doesn’t support any kind of terrorism,” said Muhammad Jashim Uddin, a Muslim cleric; it “supports brotherhood”.

“We know of groups that call themselves Muslim and persecute minorities. But Muhammad did not teach us this. Good human beings never kill, never attack places of worship of other faiths."

For Shidur Islam, a madrasa teacher, the “militants are blind and misguided. it is time for media to play a vital role to make Muslim Imams aware”.

“We signed a fatwa against militancy because we think it will help reduce militancy,” he added. All Muslim clerics should teach of the fatwas. “As Bangla, we are peace minded, but some militant incidents are destroying our country’s image.”

The reference here is to various episodes of violence against students, bloggers and members of religious minorities, who have been attacked, beaten and often killed by members of Islamist groups.

“If the country is badly affected by militancy, we good Muslims will be harmed,” Shidur explained.

• bangladesh
• fatwa
• daesh
• islamic state
• terrorism
• extremism
• 100
• 000 clerics