The Khatib of Sholakia Eidgah, which hosts the largest Eid congregation in Bangladesh, has said he hopes to get 100,000 Islamic religious scholars to sign a groundbreaking fatwa against terrorism.
The clerical initiative to curb terrorism in Bangladesh will be publicised in mosques, madrasas and on social media, he said.
Fariduddin Masuud, secretary general of Jamaat-e-Ulema Maulana and Khatib of the historic Sholakia Eidgah, said the signatures of 100,000 Imams and scholars would be collected in support of the fatwa.
The Khatib said: “Those who are killing innocent people and are involved in terrorism in the name of religion are misguided. Islam does not support killing.
“To curb militancy, signatures on a common fatwa will be collected from 100,000 clerics and scholars which will then be distributed. The young are often duped into getting involved in militancy.”
But while talking about the recent killings of bloggers, he said necessary legal action should be taken if anybody hurts another’s religious sentiments. Masuud said if anybody feels that their religious sentiments have been hurt, they should inform the police.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Huq assured Masuud that the police would help with the anti-terrorism initiative.
During an exchange of views yesterday between the police and the Sammilito Olama Mashayekh Parishad at Police Headquarters, it was suggested that law enforcement personnel help the effort to nip militancy in the bud.
Masuud said he hoped to compile a book of quotes with material from the Qur’an, Hadith and the life of the Prophet Muhammad to tackle terrorism which would be distributed in the country’s mosques, madrasas and religious gatherings.
Masuud said he was once asked by a foreign journalist whether the Islamic State (IS) group was active in Bangladesh. “I said: ‘No. Where there Jamaat is present, there is no need for IS to operate.’”
He added that Jamaat’s brutality during the Liberation War was no less ruthless than the destruction wrought by IS.
Branding Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) as offshoots of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Masuud said militancy cannot be defeated if Jamaat continues to exist.
“Jamaat must be boycotted politically and socially. Their financial institutions are boosting militancy. Their property should be seized,” he said.
When asked whether issuing fatwas was an effective way to tackle terrorism, Masuud told the Dhaka Tribune that fatwas offered one of many effective ways to curb militancy.
“One cannot deny that in Bangladesh, fatwas can have tremendous impact. A statement against terrorism by clerics can be very effective,” he said.
Masuud explained how consensus would be built around the anti-terrorism fatwa. “Already district clerics are spreading the message. The draft of the fatwa will be finalised within two weeks and will be sent to district clerics for review. It will then be sent to the concerned ministries to be finalised.”
The Khatib said online and social media would be used to spread the message and to sensitise the public. “We will use Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and so on. Because the young generation gets so much misleading information on online platforms, to counter this, online media should be focused on more.”
When asked whether such a technique has ever been successful, he said a few years ago, India’s Darul Uloom Deoband Islamic school issued a fatwa against terrorism and it was successful.
He said the issue would be discussed with all stakeholders and a programme had been chalked out in this regard. “Everyone has to be involved with this programme because it is a big issue. One cannot make the programme successful alone.”
The IGP suggested that the clergy put together a committee to collect the signatures of 100,000 Imams in support of the fatwa.
“If the ulema and the people are united, militancy can be eradicated from the country. I do not believe that Qawmi madrasas are breeding centres for militancy. So far, most of those arrested have been Jamaat-Shibir men,” Masuud said.