Update [2005-7-28 16:38:30 by susanhu]: “CAIR Founded by ‘Islamic Terrorists’?” — Daniel Pipes
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) added its support “for a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, against terrorism and extremism issued by the Fiqh Council of North America [and] more than 120 U.S. Muslim groups, leaders and institutions. (The term “fiqh” refers to Islamic jurisprudence.)” The fatwa [was] released today at the Nat’l Press Club. Today’s stories:
WaPo: “U.S. Muslim Scholars to Forbid Terrorism”
NYT: “From Muslims in America, a New Fatwa on Terrorism” … “‘Fatwa’ seems to be one of those hot-button terms,” said Ibrahim Hooper [CAIR spokesman]. “Maybe now they’ll listen.”
More from the NYT story:
“Young people might not have had the opportunity to understand the teaching of Islam in depth,” said Jamal Badawi, chairman of the Islamic Information Foundation in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a member of the council issuing the fatwa. “We are trying to be proactive, not wait until something happens.”
The fatwa cites the Koran and other Islamic texts, and says that making innocent people targets is forbidden – “haram” – and that those who commit such violence are “criminals” and not “martyrs,” as supporters of suicide bombers have often claimed.
The edict is signed by 18 Islamic scholars who serve on the Fiqh Council of North America, an association of Muslim jurists who interpret Islamic law, and is endorsed by more than 100 Muslim organizations, mosques and leaders. The text is embargoed until its release at a morning news conference today in Washington organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy organization.
The fatwa reiterates previous antiterrorism statements that many American Muslim leaders and organizations have repeatedly issued in recent years in response to terrorist attacks. But Muslim leaders said they hoped that by calling it a “fatwa” this time, they would convince Americans that Islam does not condone violence.
” ‘Fatwa’ seems to be one of those hot-button terms,” said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “Maybe now they’ll listen.”
