NEWS: British Muslim Leaders To Issue 'Fatwa' on Terrorists

POLITICS: British Muslim Leaders To Issue 'Fatwa' on Terrorists

After Thursday's bombings in Central London, British Muslims (and, indeed, most of the intelligent population at large) became concerned that hints at Al-Qa'ida involvement would lead to unnessecary reprisals against Muslims, and possibly the British Asian people in general. Now, predictably, concern, confusion, fear and paranoia have arisen within the Muslim community. However, some Muslims are saying that it is time for the Islamic community to do something about the more pressing concern of how to disassociate themselves with terrorism.

Muslim leaders in Britain have met and decided to place a 'fatwa' (relgious judgement) on terrorists.

So by 'outlawing' supposed followers of Islam who murder and terrorize, will the faith manage to cleanse its tarnished image and shake the notion that somehow all Islam is an enemy of the West? Is this finally a decisive move in the right direction, or too little too late?

so by putting "outlawing" in quotations are you suggesting that they should not merely write a fatwa, but enforce it as well?

I'd imagine that the quotation marks stem from the fact that a fatwa is a relgious, not a legal action.

I put it in inverted commas because it was implying it was a less than perfect way of describing what they're doing, but gave the idea.

The thing is, I doubt a 'fatwa' will mean anything to the type of people who carry out hate/revenge attacks let alone make them think twice about doing such things...

I think it's a step in the right direction. Shame it took the London bombings to get it to happen, though.

agreed. If anything this act against the terrorists further pushes them to believe that western muslims are not "true" muslims.

Yeah, the people who are doing the bombings don't consider the mullahs issuing this fatwa "true" Muslims. It's a good signal to the rest of the world, however. I've sometimes felt that moderate Muslims have been a bit hesitant to too loudly criticize the crazy-ass fundamentalist ones for fear of inviting a more general sort of criticism of Islam (that is, they fear they'll just play into the hands of anti-Islamists), but I think they're getting that they can't stay quiet now.

This declaration would be the moral equivalent of Dubya saying "Oops, my bad" after the world found out there were no more UN-outlawed WMD's in Iraq. What's done is done.

The people doing the killing -- on both sides -- have already decided what their (re)action is. The "war" continues, even though a majority of Muslims and Christians worldwide would like to see peace.

[Edited on Jul 10, 2005 3:33PM]

I think it's a step in the right direction, too. It seems like the moderates have been hesistant to publicly denounce the fundamentalists, and not saying anything hasn't been working.

I doubt anything'll change either way, but yeah, it seems good to separate yourself.

I'm starting to think that racist or dim people will either not know anything about this, or choose to ignore it.

Moderate muslims, like most ordinary people always condemn terrorist attacks. What this might do is put a dent in the number of young impressionable muslims who are recruited by the idiots in the jackets tailored by dupont.
As for the genral population they either already know that these attacks are abhorrent to the muslim faith or they don't, and i doubt this'll change their mind.

hey look guys! isn't this great?
thats great!

Where I work there are a lot of muslim people and I'm friends with most of them but I can pretty much guarantee that over the next few days they'll be a few assholes making with the racist paranoia driven abuse due to the latest events in London, my dad said one of my friends was "alright for one of them" which was a bit of a fucked up thing to say or is it just me?.

Why no mention of the Glasgow bombing on the newswire today?

edited as I'm stupid

Look at the date on the original post.

Yeah a few hours ago there was a terrorist bombing at the airport in Glasgow. Thats one attempted and one definate attack within two days.

that will teach me not to read things properly

Hopefully.

There's already a thread about the bombings in the UK.

I think it's a bit fucked-up, myself.

Fucked up but very common.

Sadly true.

I don't think it was meant in a racist way I think it's just due my dad being brought up when there wasn't much racial integration there still isn't where I live which just makes things worse, lack of understanding and ignorance leads to fear and paranoia in my experience.