Pakistan religious scholars declare attacks on minorities un-Islamic

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-9-24 14:50:24

Religious scholars in Pakistan have declared attacks on minorities as un-Islamic and said Islam does not permit senseless attacks on worship places of non-Muslims.

The declaration was issued just two days after a pair of suicide bombings in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed over 80 and injured nearly 130 people in a packed Church when Christians were performing Sunday's service.

The parliament late Monday passed a unanimous resolution, strongly condemning the attacks as heinous and inhuman.

The resolution said the attacks were not only against Christian but against all Pakistanis. The parliament expressed solidarity with the Christian community and sympathized with the bereaved families and prayed for early recovery of the injured.

The terror attacks, which also killed 34 women and some children, are being widely condemned in Pakistan and across the world.

Islamic parties and religious scholars also slammed the terrorists to target innocent and peaceful Christians and said these brutal attacks have posed serious threat to the possible peace talks with the armed Taliban.

"All religious scholars in Pakistan view these attacks are un- Islamic as Islam does not allow anyone to use religion for attacking minorities,"Chairman of Pakistan's clerics council, Allama Tahir Ashrafi, said Tuesday.

Ashrafi told Xinhua that a handful of terrorists are defaming the sacred name of Islam through their cruel acts.

"No Muslim can even think to kill innocent non-Muslim and those who are attacking people on the name of religion are misguided elements and they do not represent Muslims,"he said.

He also said that Muslims expressed solidarity with Christians and visited them at the attacks site and hospital and even joined them during funerals as a sign of solidarity.

A banned group"Jundullah"had claimed responsibility for the attacks and its spokesman, Ahmed Marwat, said the attacks were revenge of the US drone strikes in the tribal regions.

He warned that attacks on non-Muslims will continue unless the US stops drone attacks.

Allama Asharafi rejected the notion to kill innocent people for the actions of others and said this is just an excuse for their terror acts.

Senior religious scholars from different schools of thought urged the government that elements involved in the killing of members of Christian community should not be invited to the peace dialogue.

Renowned scholars Mufti Taqi Usmani, Dr Abdul Razzaq, Maulana Samiullah and Maulana Mufti Rafi Usmani of Deobandi sect issued a decree on Monday which said that such acts were against the teachings of Islam and the saying of the Muslim Holy Prophet Muhammad.

"We believe that the attack on the church was a conspiracy against Islam and Pakistan,"they said in a statement.


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