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Home | News | Shadow Home Secretary, David Davis MP, visits Shaykh M I H Pirzada at Jamia Al-Karam

 NEWS: 21/07/2005

View Photos from the Visit

The Eaton Hall-based British Muslim Forum have joined with other members of their faith to issue a Fatwa against terrorism. The Fatwa, which is a formal Islamic legal opinion, condemns the London bombers as ‘criminals not martyrs.’

It says suicide bombings are Haraam - vehemently prohibited in Islam. The Fatwa was issued in the same week as the college welcomed Shadow Home Secretary and Tory leadership favourite David Davis to the site, just outside Retford.

A delegation from Eaton Hall travelled to London this week for talks with the Prime Minister and key political figures about the attacks, appearing on the national news networks in the process. General Secretary of the BMF, Gul Muhammad, said they are aiming for two outcomes by issuing the statement. “We hope we have reclaimed the word Fatwa from the ugly connotations that are attched to it and hope to reclaim Islam from the evil that has been associated with it,” he said.

The Fatwa points to passages in the Quran which condemn violent acts. “Whoever kills a human being ... then it is as though he has killed all mankind, and whoever saves a human life, it is as though he has saved all mankind,” it says in Surah al-Maidah.

The Fatwa says Islam’s position is clear and unequivocal - he who shows no respect for human life is an enemy of humanity. ‘Such acts as the London bombs are crimes against humanity and contrary to the teachings of Islam,’ it says. ‘Islam teaches us to be caring towards all of Allah’s creations, not just mankind. There is no place or justification in Islam for extremism, fanaticism or terrorism,’ it continues.

The Fatwa came in the same week as David Davis came to the visit the school. He accompanied Retford’s MP Patrick Mercer to meet Al-Karam’s principal and founder of the British Muslim Forum, Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada. During the visit, which saw Mr Mercer and Mr Davis meet staff and pupils, Mr Pirzada said everyone at Al-Karam expressed their condolences to the victims of the attacks in London.