PAKISTAN: Religious Scholars Called In to Push Peace

• by Ashfaq Yusufzai (peshawar)
• Wednesday, July 13, 2011
• Inter Press Service

'The country is plagued with germs of terrorism. All the methods and strategies have been applied but to no avail,' Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told IPS. 'As a last resort, we are requesting religious scholars to prevail upon the people for the maintenance of peace in society.'

'Ulamas' or religious scholars can play a significant role in curbing terrorism because people respect and listen to them, Hussain said. 'We have appealed to all religious scholars to come forward and help the government in curbing terrorism.'

The former chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, who recently ended a whirlwind tour of the country on a mission of peace, harmony and tolerance, echoed the call.

'We believe that the religion of Islam can be utilised for peace as it strongly advocates peace and tranquillity, and forbids the people from indulging in criminal activities, like terrorism, theft and other crimes,' he told IPS.

On Apr. 20 last year, senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader Dost Mohammad Khan was killed along with 27 others in a bomb attack in Peshawar.

Pakistan was peaceful before the Taliban moved here after they were ousted from power in Afghanistan in late 2001 and took sanctuary in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) near the Pakistan- Afghanistan border. The Taliban then spread out from the tribal areas, launching attacks in nearby Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, minced no words in condemning terrorism, after having survived two suicide attacks on Mar. 30 and 31. The terrorists also attacked several mosques and funeral ceremonies at that time.

'In this situation, the role of religious scholars in maintaining peace is very crucial as they have roots in society and people listen to them attentively,' Maulana Abdul Baqi, who leads prayers in University Town in Peshawar, told IPS.

Baqi said he and other Muslim scholars have been urging students and colleagues to preach the message of Islam so that the people will reject terrorism and pursue efforts aimed at achieving peace. The terrorists have themselves been using religion to gain adherents to their cause, issuing fatwas (religious decrees) and calling upon their followers to attack the Pakistan army and police because of their alliance with the U.S.

'Several religious scholars have issued religious decrees condemning terrorism and attacking mosques and schools. Some scholars have also issued decrees calling the suicide attacks haram (anti-Islam),' Baqi said, adding that the acts of terrorism were decreasing because of the active role of religious scholars.

Last January, the government began issuing announcements in the leading mosques in different cities to seek public help in curbing terrorist plots.

Maulvi Shabbir Alam of Mardan district said that Islam is a religion of peace which does not condone the killing of innocent people. 'Acts of terrorism and suicidal attacks are forbidden in Islam,' he said.

Local police officer Irshad Khan said religious harmony was the need of the hour and that scholars can play an effective role in creating awareness of terrorism and suicide bombings. 'We have alerted the police to keep a strict vigil on suspicious people near mosques and other places of worship to help police foil acts of terrorism,' he added.

Khan said that the religious scholars can show people the right path with their knowledge and understanding of Islam.

Maulana Amin ul Haq of Charsadda district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said they had started giving sermons against terrorism. 'We have always used the mosques against the menace of terrorism and will continue the efforts until peace prevails,' he said.

Tahseenullah Khan, head of the non-government organisation National Research and Development Foundation, told IPS that his group had been holding seminars and workshops for religious scholars to sensitise them on the issue of terrorism. The Foundation has been working with religious scholars and utilising the services of clerics in arresting the growing spread of extremism, violence and gender discrimination.

'During the past year, we have held 20 workshops for 600 religious scholars as we believe that 90 percent of the people obey them and listen to what they say,' he said.

The NRDF is committed to promoting peace and tolerance among the general public and winning the support of policy makers for peace and tolerance, he added. Part of the NRDF’s campaign is the training of religious teachers and circulating booklets on peace.

In the past five years, militants have killed a number of religious scholars, among them Dr Muhammad Farooq Khan, Maulana Hassan Jan and Mufti Sarfraz Naeemi, for their opposition to suicide attacks.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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