Violence in Muslim Societies

‘Look before you leap: Mufti Nazir’

The recent London bombings are aimed at smearing the beauty of Islam, says Mufti Nazir Ahmad

, a young Kashmiri Muslim cleric who is acknowledged as one of the most credible scholars issuing religious decrees. He teaches religion to young boys at Darul-ul-Aloom Rahimia at Bandipore, a town to the northwest of Srinagar. Mufti, who is a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board for the past six years, has studied religion at Dar-ul- Aloom, Deoband, a premier seat of Islamic learning in India, besides having done master's in Urdu. He says, the Islam he was acquainted with, taught him the respect of life and that if anyone killed an innocent person, it was tantamount to killing the entire mankind as he threw light on the issues concerning the world at present in a interview with Farooq Shah of Kashmir Observer. Excerpts:

MF: Violence and Muslims have become sort of synonymous these days. Non-Muslims say that there's a special emphasis on the use of violence in Islam. What's the real picture?

Mufi Nazir : The literal meaning of Islam is peace. How can a religion, from whose very literal meaning emanates a feeling of peace and security be an advocate of violence? The entire meaning of Islam can be summed up in one Qur'anic verse: An innocent killing is tantamount to the killing of all the humanity. Islam goes to this extent as well that if a man helps another even with half a word in abetting a killing, he too is involved in the entire crime. Killing of innocents has nothing to do with the religion of peace.

MF: Islamic history is replete with wars and Muslims have taken pride in glorifying these. Is it so that war is necessary for establishing peace?

Mufti Nazir: If you look at the history, most wars at the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) were thrust upon them and Muslims reacted only in self-defence. Islam has reached various places, including Kashmir, without the influence of sword. Islam authorises war in extraordinary situations only, for example, if they meet a violent uprising and the use of force becomes the only alternative.

MF: Making a mention of Kashmir, do you think that some people here have distanced themselves from the age-old teachings and traditions of Sufis and other saints whose message was subtle and that of peace and in accordance with the principles of Islam that some of them have drifted from the real path? Do you think, there's need to inculcate those teachings afresh?

Mufti Nazir: There's no denying that the present generation has distanced itself from the traditions, teachings and ways of life of the Sufi saints who have left an indelible mark on the culture of Kashmir. The subtleties that they taught are completely missing in today's generation. Their character and behavior was so strong that people would automatically embrace Islam and I'm sorry to say that if the people are disillusioned with Islam today, it is because of our bad character and bad behaviour. The only way out from this situation is to respect other people and save oneself from inflicting harm upon another.

MF: Day in and day out, we hear of bomb blasts, killings, kidnappings etc-claiming hundreds of lives every day. It's no coincidence that a number of these take place in Muslim nations or Muslims themselves carry out most of these. How would the order be set right?

Mufti Nazir: If a particular mode of procedure has more disadvantages than advantages, I say however justified a cause, one must refrain from it especially when it brings a bad name to Islam. To me these acts do not conform to the teachings of Islam at all.

MF: There're some clerics who preach extremism in the name of Islam. As an example, one Sheikh living in exile in London, reportedly receiving 300 pounds a month from British government approves the use of violence against England and America. How do you react to such clerics in the first place?

Mufti Nazir: Islam rejects people with double standards, as does the humanity. If the learned men of religious authority are victim of this double-standard syndrome, I don't think Islam acknowledges such behaviours. I've not heard of the Sheikh and I don't know his viewpoint whatsoever, and I don't think I would be able to comment on this gentleman.

MF: Jihad is the probably the most contentious issue of discussion in Islam. What's the theory behind it and who's qualified to give an edict in this regard? Can anybody act on ones own and wage a jihad?

Mufti Nazir: There're issues in Islam where a single person is not qualified to give opinion regarding something contentious, which might lead to ambiguity or indecisiveness. In such cases, a team of highly qualified and learned men of religious authority sit together and analyse the pros and cons of an issue vis-à-vis Islamic teachings and after careful thought issue a combined decision. A person in his individual capacity pursuing anything of his own has nothing to do with Islam.

MF: Islam in the West is the second largest religion after Christianity and still growing. People in the west have been more inclusive and tolerant in many ways and have allowed the spread of Islam happily. Do you not think, the recent spate of violent acts in US and Europe, such as Madrid and London, is harming the cause of Islam?

Mufti Nazir: There's no doubt that acts such as these harm the Muslims' interests in general and Islam in particular. Such acts do tarnish the beauty of Islam.

MF: September 11, Madrid Bombings, Beslan killings, London bombings and now the recent Egypt bombings. How far is it justified to see Muslims' hands in these acts?

Mufti Nazir: The first and foremost thing is to establish whether those responsible are Muslims in the first place. Even if some Muslims are supposed to be involved, it has to be seen whether they act on their own or are used as tools in some kind of a ploy by different agencies to carry out these heinous acts. In the latter case, it is not the Islam that is to be blamed. There's no room for extremism in Islam. If someone thinks that Islam teaches him to do so, I think it does not conform to the principles of Islam. Islamic Fiqah Academy of India organised a seminar on it titled Islam-global peace and security - in which certain resolutions were adopted such as the definition of terrorism, relations with other communities and forbidding of the use of violence against innocent people etc. In Islam there is no justification to violence, whosoever the perpetrator is.

MF: What exactly do you teach at the Madrasa you're engaged in as a religious teacher? What do you stress at? Do you inform the students about the violent acts that mar the day-to-day life today?

Mufti Nazir: Our main focus lies on the real teachings of Islam which should enable the students to uphold the lost traditions of the learned men of the bygone era of Kashmir, Hazrat Anwar Shah, Sheikh Yaqoob Sarfi,-just to name a few. Ours is a simple endeavour to make them good human beings who would be able to differentiate between good and evil for themselves. Violence is something we prefer to keep at bay.

The interview appeared in Kashmir Observer after 7/7 London Bombings.