Prof. Dr Tahir ul Qadri speaks openly on current developments in his latest exclusive interview with Pakwatan.com

Prof. Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is a known religious scholar as well as a famous Pakistani politician. He is the founder of Minhaj ul Quran and is also the leader of Pakistan Awami Tehreek(PAT). Below are the excerpts of his recent interview with Pakwatan.com

By Henry H. Lindner

Why do Americans, who otherwise have a fair moral sense and have often intervened around the world to protect victimized groups, continue to tolerate any and all Israeli crimes against Palestinians, and then blame the Palestinians for fighting back?

Why do Americans consider Palestinians undeserving of basic human rights?Why don't Americans realize that Zionism is a form of ethnic and religious bigotry and discrimination?

Why did Americans go to war on the basis of U.N. resolutions in order to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo, yet continue to aid and abet the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in contradiction to the U.N. resolution 242 and 338?

by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman

Unspeakable acts of violence were committed on September 11. The perpetrators of the horrific attack of September 11 must be brought to justice, using the instruments of domestic and international law. The unconscionable slaughter demands prosecution.

But bombing a desperately poor country under the yoke of a repressive regime is a wrongheaded response. The U.S. bombing of Afghanistan should cease immediately.

It is a policy that will diminish U.S. security, ignores overriding humanitarian concerns, and precludes more sensible approaches to achieving justice and promoting security in the United States and around the world.

Regarding the rules of War & Islam, the following has been prohibited by Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him):

1. Killing traders, merchants, contractors and the like are to be spared if they do not take part in actual fighting (kharaj of Yahya p 34, Kharaj of Abu Yusufp 122)
2. Killing non Combatants (Mabsit of Sarakhisiy, X, 64)
3. Combatants are only those who are physically capable of fighting (Sharhj al siyar al kabir, IV,78).

By William Raspberry, Washington Post

"Every nation in every region now has a decision to make," President Bush said in his widely praised speech to a joint session of Congress last month.

"Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists."

And I thought: Are those really the only possibilities? Can't there be some nation, in some region, that dislikes both terrorism and America — or that is indifferent both to the United States and to those behind the September 11 massacre?

Arabs are asking why Israeli brutality is deemed self-defence while Palestinians are vilified as terrorists

David Hirst in Beirut, Guardian UK

Some Arabs did criticise the assassination of Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam Zeevi. But not because it was an act of terrorism. They simply shared the widespread apprehension about its impact on the hoped-for renewal of the peace process.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, thanks a lot for your good question, and may Allah enlighten our hearths with the light of Islam.

In the first place, we would like to stress that the study of world history would show that Islam and terrorism are extreme opposites. There is no meeting point between Islam and terrorism as practiced by terrorist groups in different parts of the world.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Brother in Islam, it gives us a great pleasure to receive your question. Islam, the true religion of Allah, encourages Muslims to seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave. May Allah bless your efforts in pursuit of knowledge!

In response to your question, the eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Muhammad `Ali Al-Hanooti, member of the North American Fiqh Council, states:

In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

First of all, we would like to tell you that war is decreed in Islam in self defense. This indicates that aim behind war is to ward off aggression not to impose Islam as a religion. Referring to this, Allah Almighty says: “To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; and verily God is most powerful for their aid.” (Al-Hajj:39)

Turning to the main topic of the question concerning war ethics in Islam, we would like to develop the whole issue while dealing with the following main points:

1-Personal Behavior of the Troops:

Senior members of the UK's Muslim community have voiced fears the London bombing hunt is making innocent people feel they are under suspicion.

Labour peer Lord Ahmed said many Muslims in the north of England believed they could become victims of mistaken identity by armed police.

And Azad Ali, chairman of the Muslim Safety Forum, said many young Muslims were reluctant to leave their homes.

"They fear that they're all suspected bombers," he told BBC Radio Five Live.

"We've received many emails, we've received telephone calls, about how young Muslims don't want to use the Tube now."