Over 130 Imams refuse to say funeral prayers for London attackers

The initiative came after Muslim community leaders said they would increase efforts to eliminate extremism

Over 130 imams and religious leaders belonging to the Muslim faith refused to say funeral prayers for the perpetrators behind the London Bridge attack carried out Saturday night.

Muslim religious figures from across the United Kingdom said seeing the pain and suffering of the victims and their loved ones led them to make the decision, according to The Guardian.

Normally, the Islamic funeral prayer is said for all Muslims despite their actions.

The leaders also requested others to follow suit, and said they were shocked and disgusted at such heinous acts.

Commuters walk past flowers and messages left outside Monument Underground station next to London Bridge.PHOTO: REUTERS

“We will not perform the traditional Islamic funeral prayer over the perpetrators and we also urge fellow imams and religious authorities to withdraw such a privilege. This is because such indefensible actions are completely at odds with the lofty teachings of Islam,” they said.



The move came as senior Muslims and community leaders said they would redouble efforts to root out extremism in their communities after the London attack on Saturday.

A man is seen on the ground after armed police officers opened fire on suspected attackers in Borough Market. PHOTO: REUTERS

A Muslim Metropolitan Police officer, Mak Chishty, also called for “a step-change – a different direction and a different movement to counter the scourge of terrorism, extremism and hatred that we have in our communities at present”.

Chishty said in his statement, “It is the Islamic duty of every Muslim to be loyal to the country in which they live. We are now asking questions to understand how extremism and hatred has taken hold within some elements of our own communities.”

Meanwhile, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Harun Khan, also condemned the attack saying, “We want to do something about it. Enough is enough. We are ready to have those difficult conversations, as equal citizens with an equal stake in this fight.”

"It is often the case that the path towards extremism is outside of the mosque and at the margins of society. We are all grappling with this hateful ideology. This is an ideology that makes killing and hating cool, and uses the words of Islam as a cloak to justify it,” he added.



Harun said that now onward mosques will be encouraged to report any suspicious activity and that Muslims would "extend our hand of partnership and cooperation to the government and prime minister, to work together to keep our country safe.”

Muslims, Jews and Christians had collected at the East London Mosque to condemn the London attack holding a banner which read “one London, one community.”

The mosque's chairman, Muhammad Habibur Rahman, called the attackers “evil terrorists” with a  “twisted narrative and perversion of the religion of Islam”.