By Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha
New Delhi, May 29: The Grand Mufti of Egypt, a top cleric, whose voice influences millions of Muslims the world over has issued a fatwa (edict) which says that Talibans recent attacks violate the principles of Sharia law.
Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam—a global voice for Sunni Islam--- declared the ongoing war in Afghanistan illegal as it has no roots in Sharia law. The fatwa says that killing of even one innocent human being is considered as killing of all humanity.
Releasing the fatwa to the media on Thursday, the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs of Afghanistan said that the grand Mufti of Egypt has issued a detailed fatwa about peace and security in Afghanistan at the request of the Afghan government.
The fatwa seemingly is a big blow to the Taliban, as the Grand Mufti's influence has traditionally resonated strong among the world's Muslim community.
The Taliban leaders have said repeatedly that once in power, they would form a government which would pursue Sharia law.
In his fatwa, the Mufti said that security threats, encroachment on lives, property and dignity of the people and destruction of public property are major sins.
"Islam counted the murder of one person as the murder of the whole humanity and it was called even worse than the destruction of the home of God (Masjid al-Haram Mosque)," The Grand Mufti said that Islamic rules emphasise that the country should be protected against any threats, as Allah has tasked humans to work to ensure that life flourishes on earth, and not destroyed.
According to the ministry, Mufti said that Islam called for serious punishment for those who threaten the security of countries, spread anarchy on land and create chaos.
"Chaos and fear are created by allowing murder of people, creating mischief, looting people's belongings and making people of a society enemy of each other. "Without calling Taliban by name, the Grand Mufti said that by blaming a government infidel based on various claims or targeting people on the pretext that they are disbelievers, as well as killing people under the name of AmrbilMaroof in non-Islamic countries were other forms of anarchy.
"Killing and counting the shedding of people's blood and destruction in the country is one of the greatest sins and the Islamic Sharia has emphasised on its sanction and its perpetrators deserve severe punishment in this world," says the fatwa.
A few days ago, religious scholars from Jordan, Palestine, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon condemned the Taliban war in Afghanistan, terming it illegitimate.
The Grand Mufti of Egypt holds the highest religious office in Egypt. He is the government's first and primary source of religious authority, and is seen as the symbolic religious representative of the government. He is entitled to issue fatwas on religious matters. As a religious authority, he is responsible for issuing religious legal opinions published by the Dar al-Ifta' al-Misriyyah, the Egyptian fatwa agency that he heads.
The position of Grand Mufti of Egypt is seen as very influential in Egypt as well as throughout the Arab and Islamic world.
Since his election in 2013, the present Shawki Ibrahim Allam has been promoting a moderate and open form of Islam, and is known for promoting dialogue to resolve thorny religious issues.
An advocate for respecting cultural and religious diversity, Allam encourages people to speak to each other to remove distrust.
He has strongly criticised certain hard-line groups within Islam for misinterpreting Jihad and espousing extremism. In reference to these groups, he has said that "they preach the Islamic system and way of life and strive to return Muslim societies to the right path. But herein lies the problem. None of these groups pursues spiritual reform as the basis for returning to Allah the Almighty and for individual and social reform."
Last year, he criticised Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for converting UNESCO World Heritage-recognised Hagia Sophia into a mosque.