Fatwa on suicide bombings

2005-07-19 11:43

London - More than 500 British Muslim leaders and scholars condemned the killing of innocent people in the London terror attacks and said suicide bombings were "vehemently prohibited," the BBC reported.

The British Muslim Forum issued the fatwa, or formal legal opinion, as more than 50 Muslim religious leaders from around Britain stood outside the Houses of Parliament on Monday to hear it read out, it said.

The religious decree expressed condolences to the families of the 56 people killed in the bombings of three subway trains and a bus on July 7 and wished the hundreds injured a speedy recovery.

It said Islam condemns the use of violence and the destruction of innocent lives, adding that suicide bombings are "vehemently prohibited." Police suspect the attacks were carried out by Islamist suicide bombers.

BMF Secretary General Gul Mohammad 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, which will be read out in mosques across the country on July 22, comes just before Prime Minister Tony Blair was to meet Tuesday with leaders of Britain's 1.6 million strong Muslim community to recruit their support in defeating religious extremism.

- AFP