Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday denounced the killing of Muslims and religious scholars as “terrorism,” stressing such criminal activities did not fall under the umbrella of “jihad.”
Addressing madrassa students at Nowshera’s Darul Uloom Haqqania a week after a suicide bomber targeted its mosque, killing at least six people, including Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, he questioned how taking the lives of innocent Muslims could ever be justified as jihad. “It is terrorism,” he said, emphasizing that Islam considers the taking of even one life akin to the killing of all humanity.
“You are murderers, ruthless, criminals,” he said in a direct address to terrorists. “Why are you deceiving yourself,” he questioned, referring to their self-claimed motivations of jihad.
Referring to Maulana Haqqani, the JUIF leader he is a martyr. “Should I call my teacher a martyr and the killer a mujahid?” he asked, urging the students against considering such contradictions. Lamenting that he felt the attack on the madrassa was an attack on his own home, Fazl stressed that militants were targeting mosques, attacking congregants.
“What morality is there in such actions?” he questioned, recalling that religious scholars and 90 of his party workers were earlier slain during a gathering in Bajaur.
No operation
During his address, Fazl claimed he had learnt of a possible military operation at the Darul Uloom Haqqania and had warned senior officials against any such action. He said the plan was called off after he told them that if it occurred, he would personally lead opposition to it.
The JUIF concluded his speech with optimism, telling the gathered students that the current spell of militancy would pass, with scholars and seminaries upholding the real face of Islam. “These are black storms—they come and will pass, but these seminaries, religious scholars and JUI will uphold religion,” he said.
The JUIF chief also recalled that a fatwa—declaring cross-border attacks haram—issued by religious scholars from Pakistan and Afghanistan remained in place. So long as it was in place, he said, no aggression against fellow Muslims could be considered “jihad.”