Islamic scholars deplore Peshawar massacre

Nagpur, Dec19: Deploring the senseless massacre of 132 innocent school kids in Pakistan’s Peshawar Army school on December 16 in the strongest terms, learned Islamic scholar and cleric Maulana Babar Ashrafi of Kichhochha Sharif said that those perpetrators of this most cowardly act did not represent either Sunni or Shiya Islam. “They are the Wahabis who are enemies of ‘insaniyat’(humanity).

Talking exclusively to newsbharati.com from Delhi, Maulana Ashrafi said that no religion gave permission to hate, kill or eliminate others. “Islam, particularly is the religion of peace and this type of actions are not permitted in Islam. Hence the unfortunate happening in Pakistan cannot be justified according to Islam also”, he explained.

Going back to the 60s the most revered Islamic clergy blamed the Saudi Arabs for spreading this type of perverted Islam in the name of ‘Wahabism’ which thrived on the petro-dollars. They used this money to spread this ideology in non-Muslim countries through the madarsas, the Maulana said adding that the famous madarsas at Deoband and Nadva in India also received the funds from these petro dollars.

Though Indian rulers accepted the principle of secularism in independent India, it was the most wrongly used and abused by them. Under the guise of this secularism the rulers gave protection and encouragement to a particular section of Muslims who subscribed to this extreme ideology, he said. Under the strong political patronage these people have captured the key positions in the country, he alleged. This bred fanaticism and fundamentalism which the Sufi Islam never preached, the Islamic cleric added.

Denouncing the Taliban and al Qaeda in strong terms the Maulana said they spread fundamentalism and fanaticism of extreme kind and are enemies of ‘insaniyat’. They are being provoked by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. They are in fact ‘misinterpreting’ Islam to suit their mission, he alleged. The sole aim of al Qaeda or ISIS was to capture political power in the name of Islam, he said.

“Islam and Muslaman can never preach this kind of fanaticism and act with such inhuman cruelty”, he said adding that the solution to this problem will have to be found out with the cooperation and coordination between the saner and right thinking, peace-loving people, nations and religious groups in the world.

India is proud of her ‘Ganga-Jamni Tehjeeb’ and Indian Muslims will never disturb that tradition of assimilation of cultures, he said.

Chhattisgarh Wakf Board Chairman Salim Ashrafi too said that the inhuman Peshawar killing has exposed the real face of these Islamic militants of Taliban and al Qaeda and ISIS. They are like the legendry ‘Bhasmasura’ who is now killing his mentors, he said.

Terming this as the most unfortunate day for entire humanity, he said that they do not have any relation with Islam. They are following the religion of demons, he said.

National Convener of Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) Mohd Afzal alo echoed similar sentiments. He demanded that Pakistan be declared a ‘terrorist state’ as it has proved that its existence was a threat to entire humanity.