Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri speaking at World Economic Forum in Davos on 27 January 2011
(Also on the panel, on the right Mr John Chipman and on the left Mr Imran Khan)

Multi-pronged strategy needed to eliminate terrorism from world : Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that terrorism has adversely impacted the economies of the developing and the developed countries. Terrorists have no religion. The phenomenon of terrorism has not appeared suddenly out of nowhere. Rather it has evolved through the phases of radicalism and extremism and terrorists are used as fodder for the cannons of the masterminds of this evil. He said that there are five phases through which terrorism passes. Radical and conservative attitudes are ideological in nature and give birth to militancy and terrorism.

Panel discussing solution for terrorism at World Economic Forum (Mrs Audrey Kurth Cronin, Mr Bruno Tertrais,
Mr Palaniappan Chidambaram, Mr John Chipman, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri and Imran Khan)

According to the press statement issued by the Directorate of Media, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri expressed these views while addressing the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. He is the only Islamic scholar from across the world who has been invited to speak at the World Economic Forum on ‘The Reality of Terrorism’. Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that terrorism has no religion and bracketing this anti-human practice with such peaceful religion as Islam is not correct. He further added that the handful of extremists who are the present-day custodian of the Kharjitte thought have nothing to do with Islam. “Those who cause havoc and mayhem through shedding of innocent blood are the criminals who deserved to be meted out exemplary punishment”, he said.

Panel discussing solution for terrorism at World Economic Forum (Mrs Audrey Kurth Cronin, Mr Bruno Tertrais,
Mr Palaniappan Chidambaram, Mr John Chipman, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri and Imran Khan)

He underlined the need of understanding the Islamic concept of Jihad in correct perspective. Jihad, he said, represents the culmination of efforts made for the establishment of peace and has five broad categories namely spiritual, intellectual, social, political, and defensive. Islam, he maintained, strictly forbids bringing any harm to unarmed people, women, and the old during the course of war. The actions of handful of bigoted elements cannot be dubbed as Jihad. He said that Islam does not recommend any Jihad, which allows people to do suicide bombings and slaughter innocent people.

Audiance at the workshop "Religion