"How come that people who neither carry a weapon nor participate in war against Muslims practically or verbally are killed?" Qaradawi asked.

CAIRO, July 24, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The International Association of Muslim Scholars (IAMS) condemned Sunday, July 25, the latest series of attacks that rocked the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, London and elsewhere as running counter to the merciful teachings of Islam.

"The IAMS was really appalled to see the bloody incidents both inside and outside the Muslim world such as those that took place in Egypt, London, Turkey, and other countries, which left behind great numbers of innocent civilian casualties, who were killed in cold blood without any sin committed on their part" renowned scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the IAMS chairman, said in a statement sent to IslamOnline.net.

Writing from his sickbed, Qaradawi said Islam prohibits the killing of people, except fighting, which is restricted to face-to-face confrontation between Muslims and the army of the aggressors.

"How come that people who neither carry a weapon nor participate in war against Muslims practically or verbally are killed?"

The prominent scholar hoped that the statement "will help free Islam from the baseless accusations ascribed to it among which are torture, killing, displacement, exemplary punishment, suppression, and violation of the sanctity of others."

He went on: "This will also help us refute the claims of those who are deviating from the straight path of Islam and are changing its teachings from their proper contexts."

Qaradawi was one of the first Muslim scholars to condemn the bloody London attacks.

Qaradawi, known for moderate views, stressed that such grisly incidents are prohibited by the Islamic Shari`ah.

"All divine religions in general and Islam in particular assert the sanctity of human life and strongly prohibit aggression against it.

"All divine religions clearly state that the blood of all human beings is sacred and unlawful to shed unless the human being himself committed a criminal act or caused corruption in the land or transgressed against the lives of others," he averred.

The prominent scholar asserted that Islam considers the killing of other people as one of the gravest of sins in the sight of Allah.

"Such heinous sin and abominable crime lead to Allah’s curse in this world and His severe punishment in the Hereafter.

"In addition, committing such a crime is a strong support for the application of retaliation or qisas on the perpetrator and it makes no difference whether the one they killed is a Muslim or a non-Muslim."

He said people who have an interim pledge with Muslims, such as those who enter Islamic territories through the state authorities or any other recognized body such as travel agencies, have a pledge of security and it is prohibited to make any violation or cancellation of this individual pledge.

"Islam considers the act of issuing an entrance visa to a tourist to be a pledge of security given to this tourist, and hence it categorically prohibits transgressing the security given to tourist."

The IAMS chairman underlined that Islam also prohibits terrorizing the secured and terrifying the peaceful.

"Islam considers it a basic right that everyone enjoys security regarding himself, his family, his property, his religion, and all other special rights that man strives to protect."

Qaradawi said Shari`ah basically asserts openly that every man is responsible for his own actions, mistakes, and crimes.

"Based on this, it is not permissible to punish the innocents because of an act committed by the guilty or to punish the group for a sin committed by a handful of its individuals."

He went on: "Shari`ah has nothing to do with the acts of those few deviated people who follow its teachings but change them from their proper contexts. They claim to punish people because of injustices done by their rulers."

A statement issued by over forty leading mosque imams, muftis and scholars representing all sections of Muslims in Britain stressed that "there can never be any excuse for taking an innocent life".

The scholars asserted that those behind the July 7 London bombings cannot consider themselves martyrs.

Sheikh Qaradawi said the condemnation of such bombings and devastating acts doesn't mean a justification of the injustices and tragedies against Muslims in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other Muslim countries.

"As Muslims, we should resist these injustices and tragedies using legitimate means.

"It is not permissible to take the occurrence of such injustices as a pretext to perpetrate criminal acts.

The prominent scholar added: "The IAMS calls for mutual cooperation between the rulers and the ruled to stand together to face these immense threats imposed on the whole Muslim Ummah. Such threats require concerted efforts to be done in order to achieve mutual aims."

The Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA), now meeting in Sokoto, Nigeria, also slammed as "un-Islamic" Sharm El-Sheikh blasts and London bombings.

"The conveners, shocked by the news of the terrorist bombings in Sharm El-Sheikh and similar attacks elsewhere, announce that these acts are not justified by Islam and are condemned by all faiths," the AMJA said in a statement read out by its chairman Hussein Hamed Hassan.

"Islam forbids such bombings and acts of sabotage and violence and considers them a war against Allah and his Prophet."

The statement called on people involved in carrying out such acts of violence and bombings to repent and ask forgiveness of Allah.

The AMJA is a non-for-profit tax-exempt scientific organization comprising a select group of Muslim jurists and scholars, seeking to manifest and clarify the rulings of Shari`ah concerning issues and events affecting Muslims residing in the US.

Click to read the full statement

Also read:

• Aggression Against Innocent People(Q&A)

• Islam’s Stance on Killing Captives

• Even in Retaliation… Ethics Must Be Honored