With South Africa on alert following speculative reports that locals are being actively recruited to the Islamic State (IS), ulema in Cape Town have again vociferously condemned the group and its objectives. During a press briefing at the Muslim Judicial Council’s (MJC) head offices in Rylands this week, president Maulana Ihsaan Hendricks said it is the organisation’s responsibility to give direction on these particular issues.
Hendricks called on another representative of the ulema body, Sheikh Shoayb Ahmed to reiterate the stance of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, a body representing Muslim scholars, theologians, jurists from around the world. The scholars have come out and clearly denounced ISIS.
“They (Scholars) stated that such organisations do not represent Islam and their behaviour and practices are un-Islamic in so far as contravening the laws of the Islamic Shariah in contravening the basic human rights. In addition they have violated the rights of other faiths etc,” Ahmed said.
IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or ISIS, spearheaded by Abubakar Al Baghdadi, aims to establish an Islamic state in Sunni Arab-majority areas of Iraq. It was formed on 15 October 2006 from the merger of number Iraq insurgent groups.
“Commonly, scholars who feature in the Union of Muslim Scholars who have written a number of books have proven from an Islamic perspective that the entire claim towards an Islamic State has been unfounded and violates the basic principles of Shariah.”
According to Ahmed, these findings have been backed by a number of scholars living in Iraq as well.
As the year 2014 draws to a close, the MJC said the ever progressing situation in Iraq and Syria, regarding the gain on territory by ISIS along with the recent rumours of South African men being recruited to pledge alliance to the group, have sparked a huge concern. The organisation said more discussion was needed to provide some direction for local Muslims on the matter. VOC
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sorry mjc et al, too little too late unless you go the whole hog, its called the domino effect, if you know that the initial so-called principles are flawed you should know anything emanating will be flawed, ie if the roots are flawed and brutish dont expect perfection and justice,
so now you accept i.s isil daesh etc are not islamic? so what about those they come from? ie al nusra fsa al qaeda taliban saudi wahabi salafis etc?
and locally? on the pretext safeguarding "sunni" islam you spearhead the anti shia brigade at all masajid? even though your leader sheikh ebrahim gabriels is a signatory of the amman protocols accepting all muslims who proscribe to shahadatain as bona fide?