One of the world’s leading
Muslim clerics will issue a global declaration against terrorism at a speech in
London on Saturday. Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri will make the declaration at the
‘Peace for Humanity Conference 2011’ at Wembley Arena.
The peace declaration, which will call for an end to terrorism and for the
protection of human rights in new Arab regimes, is expected to be signed by
major religious and political leaders, including David Cameron and the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Tariq Jahan, whose son was killed in the Birmngham
riots, is also expected to attend.
The Pakistani scholar who lives in Canada is the founder of Minhaj-ul-Qaran
International, a Sufi-based organisation that promotes moderate Islam. He issued
a fatwa against terrorism last year and has since received death threats from
many groups, including al-Qi’ada. A $10m bounty has reportedly been placed on
his head.
The Muslim scholar has been running de-radicalisation youth camps across the UK,
America and Europe for several years. He believes the declaration is urgently
needed because he sees a growing number of young Muslims who could easily be
swayed to extremism
He said: “We want to give the message to the whole of the Muslim world and the
youths who have been brainwashed that this is Islam and what it stands for:
peace, harmony, tolerance, moderation and love and compassion for humanity. This
message will go out all over the world, from coast to coast.”
He said the “historic document” was needed a decade after 9/11 to combat
extremism and ensure the Arab Spring became an opportunity not just for
democracy but also the upholding of human rights.
Outlining the content of the declaration he said: “Number one will be the
absolute condemnation of terrorism; number two the protection of complete human
rights, as it is seen in the Western world and endorsed by the United Nations”.
It will also call for “support for the concept of humanity and fraternity
between all cultures, religions and human beings”; “democracy and good
governance in the Muslim world” and “total ecological and environmental
responsibility”.
“We want to emphasise education to bring an end to extremism, violence, hatred
and racism,” he said, “To educate the Muslim people and youth and at the same
time educate the West so that the hatreds are removed. We will be condemning
every kind of racism and xenophobia and we will support all Muslims living in
Western countries to have integration and citizenship and we will condemn
isolation.”
The day will include what the group claim is the first collective
cross-religious peace prayer instigated by a Muslim. The last collective peace
prayer was called by the late Pope John Paul in Assisi a decade ago.
“Mankind is burning now in a fire of hatred and fanaticism and aggression and
terrorism,” said Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri. “The peace prayer is another way to show
that all religions can come together to pray for global peace.”
Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri believes it is essential to rebuild the boundaries between
Islam, terrorism and politics. “I look around me and I see people are confused”,
he said. “Extremists and terrorists have created a very big misunderstanding in
the minds of generations. They have mixed up religion with international and
political issues.
“By talking of the Palestine issue, the Israel issue, the Afghanistan issue and
the occupation of Iraq, they have mixed up these political issues with the issue
of Islam. They have connected their terrorist and criminal activities with the
political issues of the Muslim world, making many young people confused.
“My struggle is to differentiate between the issues – to take the political
issues as a totally separate agenda that has no link with suicide bombing and
these crazy activities,” he said.
This Article was published in
www.independent.co.uk (Posted on Sunday, 18 Sep 2011)
By Emily Dugan