Washington (AsiaNews) - More than 120 Muslim
scholars from around the world have
signed an open letter that is a
"point by point"
rejection of the Islamic State (IS) philosophy.
Breaking the news, the Religion News Service states that the 18-page document, published
on 24 September and addressed to
IS "fighters and followers", relies heavily on the Koran to challenge the extremist ideology of the militants who have left a trail of brutal death
and destruction in
their attempt to create a transnational
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Signatories include prominent figures
in the Muslim world, such as the Grand
Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Shawqi Allam, and
the Mufti of
Jerusalem and all of Palestine Sheikh
Muhammad Ahmad Hussein.
The letter is written in Arabic and is based
on classical texts and
reflections of scholars used by the
IS to persuade young people to join
his forces, , says Nihad Awad,
executive director of the Council of
American-Islamic Relations, who
presented the document to Washington along with
10 other representatives of
American Muslims and civil
rights groups.
A translated 24-point summary of the letter includes
the following: "It is forbidden in Islam to torture"; "It is forbidden in Islam
to attribute evil acts to God"; and "It is forbidden in Islam to declare people
non-Muslims until he (or she) openly declares disbelief."
It is not the first time that the Islamic scholars have spoken out against the IS, but the signatories of that document - addressed to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed leader of the group and "fighters and followers self-proclaimed 'Islamic state' "- argue that it contains an unprecedented refutation of the Islamic State ideology, including the request to no longer use that term, because it is based on the assumption - unfounded - that the group protects Muslim lands from non-Muslims, and is rebuilding the caliphate, the old single government of the Muslim world.