Landmark decree
As Pakistan once again sees a new spate of terrorism, saner and responsible peers have come forward to show the way. A landmark initiative has come from the clergy of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. As many as 16 scholars from various schools of thought have issued a decree condemning terrorism, declaring in unequivocal terms that there is no room for extremism and calls for unilateral holy wars. This step is in need of being eulogised and disseminated in every nook and corner of the country so that innocent masses are not trapped by vested elements in religious attire to further their nefarious designs.
The 14-page religious decree, or fatwa, outlaws spreading chaos and riots, and categorically terms un-Islamic declaration of war and picking up weapons against the people and the state. The Ulema believe that such acts must be punished by law, and the state should take serious retribution for the same. This unanimous announcement from the province has come at a time when the militants apparently belonging to the TTP have amassed themselves, and have indulged in more than 100 attacks in a year. The people too have staged rallies across the tribal and settled areas of the province to denounce terrorism, and this sense of enlightenment has logically coincided with the decree.
Terrorism, unfortunately, has been a perpetual issue of the Muslim world for quite some time. The 9/11 attacks have simply upped the ante by compartmentalising Islam and terrorism in a biased manner. Nonetheless, there have been engagements wherein the prestigious learning institutions, such as the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, and the Shia clergy in Qom, had taken strong exception and termed suicide bombing and terrorism un-Islamic. A research dissertation by Pakistan’s famed scholar Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri won accolades at the UN for proving suicide bombing as un-Islamic. The fact is that Islam is a peaceful religion, and it is the mix of colonial tendencies and state excessiveness as well as denial of justice that had cajoled a premise of portraying Islam and Muslims in negative light. Awakening, such as the K-P fatwa, is the way to fight it out.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2023.
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