WE
CONDEMN THE VIOLENCE AGAINST THE PEOPLE IN NEW YORK - continued
Sheikh Yusuf
Al-Qaradawi Condemns Attacks Against Civilians:
Forbidden in Islam
DOHA, Qatar, Sept 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies)
Renowned
Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi denounced the attacks against civilians
in the U.S. Tuesday and encouraged Muslims to donate blood to the victims of the
attack.
In response to the bloody attack against civilians in the U.S., Sheikh Yusuf
issued a statement Wednesday saying that:
"Our hearts bleed for the attacks that has targeted the World Trade Center
[WTC], as well as other institutions in the United States despite our strong
oppositions to the American biased policy towards Israel on the military,
political and economic fronts.
"Islam, the religion of tolerance, holds the human soul in high esteem, and
considers the attack against innocent human beings a grave sin, this is backed
by the Qur'anic verse which reads:
Who so ever kills a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption
in the earth, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind, and who so ever
saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind," (Al-Ma'dah:32).
"The
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is reported to have said, 'A believer
remains within the scope of his religion as long as he doesn't kill another
person illegally'," the prominent scholar said.
He added that haphazard killing where the rough is taken with the smooth and
where innocents are killed along with wrongdoers is totally forbidden in Islam.
No one, as far as Islam is concerned, is held responsible for another's actions.
Upon seeing a woman killed in the battlefield, the Prophet, peace and blessings
be upon him, denied the act and said: "That woman shouldn't have been
killed anyway!".
Even in times of war, Muslims are not allowed to kill anybody save the one who
is indulged in face-to-face confrontation with them. They are not allowed to
kill women, old persons, children, or even a monk in his religious seclusion.
Qaradawi then asserted that is why killing hundreds of helpless civilians who
have nothing to do with the decision-making process and are striving hard to
earn their daily bread, such as the victims of the latest explosions in America,
is a heinous crime in Islam. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is
reported to have stated that a woman was qualified to enter Hell because of the
cat she locked up to death.
"If such is the ruling applied in protecting animals, no doubt, aggression
against human beings, a fortiori, deserves greater protection, for human beings
are honored by Allah Almighty and are His vicegerents on earth," he
added.
Al Qaradawi said, "we Arab Muslims are the most affected by the grave
consequences of hostile attack on man and life. We share the suffering
experienced by innocent Palestinians at the hands of the tyrannical Jewish
entity who raze the Palestinian homes to the ground, set fire to their tilth,
kill them cold-bloodedly, and leave innocent orphans wailing behind.
"With this in mind, the daily life in Palestine has become a permanent
memorial gathering. When Palestinians face such unjust aggression, they tend to
stem bloodletting and destruction and not to claim the lives of innocent
civilians."
"I categorically go against a committed Muslim's embarking on such attacks.
Islam never allows a Muslim to kill the innocent and the helpless.
"If such attacks were carried out by a Muslim - as some biased groups claim
- then we, in the name of our religion, deny the act and incriminate the
perpetrator. We do confirm that the aggressor deserves the deterrent punishment
irrespective of his religion, race or gender," he added.
"What we warn against, even if becomes a reality, is to hold a whole nation
accountable for a crime carried out by a limited number of people or to
characterize a certain religion as a faith giving support to violence and
terrorism," Qaradawi said.
Qaradawi clarified that when the well-known Oklahoma incident was carried out by
a Christian American, who was driven by a personal interests, Christianity,
America or even the Christian world, were not accused of the attack because a
Christian masterminded it.
"I have been asked several questions on TV programs and on public lectures
about the martyr operations outside the Palestinian territories, and I always
answer that I do agree with those who do not allow such martyr operations to be
carried out outside the Palestinian territories.
"Instead we should concentrate on facing the occupying enemy directly. It
is not permissible, as far as Islam is concerned, to shift confrontation outside
the Palestinian territories. This is backed by the Qur'anic verse that reads:
"Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin
not hostilities. Lo! Allah loves not, aggressors," the renowned Muslim
scholar concluded.
Stop the persecution