Indian cleric issues Fatwa against Hafiz Saeed

ISLAMABAD: An Indian mufti on Thursday issued a fatwa (edict) against Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JUD) Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed declaring him anti-Islamic.

The fatwa was issued against the JUD chief by Mufti Mohammed Saleem Barelvi, from an Islamic seminary in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh who is known for his association with RAW.

It dubbed Hafiz Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who carries a $10 million (Rs66 crore) bounty on his head, as "outcast" from Islam and declared those following him or considering as Muslim as "illegal".

A fatwa is a pronouncement in Islam which is given by a mufti, who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law. The fatwa was issued by Manzar-e-Islam Saudagaran, an institution associated with Dargah Ala Hazrat, in a reply to a question asked by Moinuddin of Jaipur.

It said that Hafiz Saeed has no connection with Islam. In his fatwa, Mufti Saleem said that having any type of connection with persons working against the dignity of Allah and the Prophet (PBUH) was illegal and 'haraam', an act that is forbidden by Allah.

It said that considering Saeed as Muslim and listening to his words was also illegal and prohibited. As per the fatwa, Hafiz Saeed is a man with terrorist ideology, who with his acts has brought infamy to Islam and Muslims across the world. Therefore, it is compulsory for every Muslim not to follow him and keep away from his ideology.

Addressing a rally held under the banner of 'Defence Council of Pakistan' in Karachi on Sunday, Hafiz Saeed had claimed, "Kashmiris had announced before the partition that they wanted to remain with Pakistan. But after the partition, India forcibly sent Army to Jammu and Kashmir. "On this Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah ordered his commander-in-chief to respond by sending troops but he refused (to obey his orders). Now, I ask Gen Raheel Sharif to send troops in (Jammu and) Kashmir as Quaid-e-Azam's order is pending." He said he was not asking for a war with India but for a strategy regarding the Kashmir issue.