Fighting terror is Islamic duty: Grand mufti

Jeddah, Feb 22: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has stressed the importance of rallying all efforts from media and educational institutions to combat terrorism.

Such actions severely distort the image of Islam abroad, he said.

Those sinners attribute their inhuman actions to Islam when they claimed an Islamic State and Allah knows that the hypocrites are liars, said the grand mufti.

Al-Asheikh made these remarks during his weekly talk show while highlighting the importance of an international conference, opening in Makkah on Sunday, to discuss counter terrorism from a Muslim perspective.

Under Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman’s patronage, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal will open the conference, titled “Islam and the Campaign Against Terror.”

The Muslim World League (MWL) is organizing the event.

According to MWL Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki, the theme of counterterrorism was selected because of the deeply upsetting events taking place in the world as a result of terrorist acts falsely attributed to Islam.

He declared that combating terror is a religious necessity in Islam.

“The terrorist groups, their supporters, who declare society as a whole as infidel and kill innocent people as a religious act, are misguided groups that are not following the right Islamic path,’’ said Al-Turki.

Stressing that the international community should confront those supporting terrorism, the secretary-general pointed out that terrorist organizations are inciting sedition in Muslim communities.

Al-Turki claimed that MWL subsidiaries in various countries have been striving to fight against terror.

“The conference will also focus on the Kingdom’s tireless efforts to combat terror and also the implementation of the Shariah law and the mutual support between the Kingdom’s people and its leaders,” said the MWL secretary-general.

Several academics and officials from Islamic centers and societies across the world are taking part in the conference.

The first session will focus on the definition of terror from the Islamic perspective and also its definition from the international standpoint, as well as the use of religion as an umbrella for terror.