Terrorism is ‘haram’: 1lakh B’deshi clerics say in fatwa

Maulana Farid Uddin Masud, the chairman of Islamic scholars’ organisation Bangladesh Jamiyatul Ulama, pronounced the fatwa or a ruling on a point of Islamic law at a press conference here.

Maulana Masud, the imam of Bangladesh’s Sholakia Eidgah, the largest Eid prayer congregation, said “some” of the militants and terrorists were “wrong” to identify themselves as “jihadists”.

“Islam is the religion of peace...Islam doesn’t support terrorism,” Maulana Masud said on Saturday.

Referring to the Quran and Hadith, he said the suicide attackers will be cast in hell.

“Even taking part in funeral prayers of terrorists, militants, covert killers is haram. And those killed for their stance against militancy will be martyrs,” he added. According to Maulana Masud, 101,524 muftis, alims and ulamas have signed the fatwa. 

The fatwa was issued amidst a spate of killings of writers, bloggers, online activists, and people of different religious and social views by suspected Islamic radicals.