Muslim leaders have issued a fatwa condemning Islamic extremist group Isis, and have said that British jihadis are “betraying their own societies” by getting involved in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.
The fatwa represents the British Muslim community’s strongest denunciation of Isis yet, calling the extremist group “heretical” and “an oppressive and tyrannical group.”
According to The Sunday Times, the fatwa, authored by Sheik Usama Hasan, a former imam from east London, and supported by six senior Islamic scholars across the country, says it is “religiously prohibited (haram) to support or join” Isis.
Plenty of Muslims bemoan the fact that Islam is seen as a religion of death and violence. But if more of them would follow the lead of Sheik Usama Hasan, and speak out against the terrorism perpetuated by Muslims around the world, then we might be more willing to believe them when they say that Islam is truly a religion of peace.