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Muslim scholars also called for casting aside disagreement between Muslims and unifying their words and stances
(Aljazeera)
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AMMAN,
July 7, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Top Muslim
scholars agreed fatwas (religious edicts) on labeling other Muslims as
“apostate” should be limited to scholars with religious authority,
urging to unify the words and stances of Muslims to highlight the
Islamic teachings of moderation, tolerance and respect for the other.
Wrapping
up their meeting in the Jordanian capital Amman Wednesday, July 6, the
170 Muslim scholars from 40 countries also proposed to form an
“Islamic-Christian alliance” to clear misconceptions about Islam,
Reuters said.
"Declaring
that person an apostate is impossible, verily his or her blood, honour
and property are sacrosanct," said the final statement of the
International Islamic Conference.
"The
issuance of religious edicts is limited to qualified Muslim scholars
in the eight schools of jurisprudence," added the statement, read
out by Jordanian Religious Affairs Minister Abdul-Salam Al-Abadi.
The
Islamic conference, titled “The True Islam and its Role in Modern
Society”, was opened by King Abdullah II Monday, to discuss the
challenges encountering Muslims and obstacles facing Islam.
The
meeting, organized by the Jordanian ministry of religions affairs,
also tackled Islam's stance on extremism, terrorism, reform and human
rights.
Unity
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King Abdullah condemned what he termed "religious extremism".
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The
meeting called for "casting aside disagreement between Muslims
and unifying their words and stances".
The
conference’s final statement was based on fatwas issued by 10 top
Muslim scholars - including Al-Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Mohammed Sayyed
Tantawi, Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, Egypt’s mufti,
Sheikh Ali Gomaa – that fatwas must only be in the hands of
qualified scholars recognized by the eight Islamic schools of thought.
At
the start of the three-day conference, King Abdullah II condemned
religious extremism which, he said, sullied the image of Islam and
called for Muslim countries to harmonize their schools of
jurisprudence.
“Divisions
within the global Islamic community, acts of violence and terrorism
and accusations of apostasy and the killing of Muslims in the name of
Islam violate the spirit of Islam," he said in the opening
address Monday.
Alliance
The
Islamic conference was also attended by a host of Christian clergymen
who proposed the set-up of an “Islamic-Christian” alliance to
clear the misconceptions on Islam.
“We
should form an alliance between the Arab Christians and moderate
Muslims to encounter challenges facing the Arab and Muslim nation,”
said bishop Nabil Haddad, director of the Jordanian center for
religious co-existence research.
“This
alliance will be tasked with showing that Islam is a religion of
moderation, peace and tolerance.”
The
cancer of Islamophobia has spread across the United States and Europe
since the 9/11 attacks.
A
recent report released by the International Helsinki Federation for
Human Rights (IHF) said Muslim minorities across Europe have been
experiencing growing distrust, hostility and discrimination since the
2001 attacks.
The
United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted on April 12 a
resolution calling for combating defamation campaigns against Islam
and Muslims in the West.
