by Jawed Iqbal

Due to the prevailing global political scenario and the most recent episode of the West’s war against another terrorist group in the Middle East, Muslims around the world find their religion being identified and related to these terrorists by Western governments and media.  The roots, background, sudden emergence, prominence and rise of Daesh along with many other questions with regards to who is funding and arming the group are unclear.  Conspiracy theories aside there was an article in the Guardian newspaper[1] that said that it was actually the US that funded and armed Daesh by the anti-Assad assistance it pumped into Syria. There are many questions that the western media do not address regarding Daesh and the West’s war against it, because of which the situation is very confusing and unclear for anyone who pays attention to the issue.  Indeed these questions have led many credible voices to doubt the West’s narrative and intentions, and some have even gone far enough to say that the West is actually behind ISIS as the guardian article also suggests.  It further states that a declassified US intelligence report written in August 2012 predicted and effectively welcomed an Islamic state in Syria and Iraq controlled by al-Qaida (which became Daesh in Iraq).

Western countries have a history of creating or promoting armed groups for their own motives such as the US with Taliban and al-Qaida, and then after no longer requiring these groups, leaving them to cause havoc in their respective countries or regions.  The US and its allies are on the same side as al-Qaeda as stated in this BBC article[2], in Syria and Iraq against Daesh and the Assad government.  So the actual reality regarding the various sides in Syria and Iraq and who is actually supporting and assisting who is very murky, and the truth behind the creation of and assistance given to Daesh is murkier still.

Irrespective of the reality behind all of these questions, one reality that has dawned upon all Muslims is that because of Daesh, Islam has been terribly affected and it has been presented by the western media as an evil, horrific and brutal religion.  It is absolutely true that Daesh is an evil, horrific and brutal group but as it claims to represent Islam and claims to be following Islam together with the Western media referring to it as ‘Islamic State’ then the activities of Daesh will be understood by many to be representative of Muslims and Islam.  This issue has also become a great threat to world peace.  Because of this there has been a need to present the true Islam and to rebut the misuse of Islamic ideology especially that of Jihad by the terrorists.  One of those people who have been leading this quest globally has been Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri came to international prominence when he launched his Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings in 2010. However he had been working in this and similar fields for over 30 years prior to that. He endeavoured to work in order to revive the true teachings of Islam, the inexistence of which was cause of sectarianism, disunity, social unrest, and many other societal ills.  In particular the existence and rise of conservatism, extremism, radicalism and terrorism were all due to the deviation from true teachings with the rise of sectarianism further fuelling them.  So in order to practically work for interfaith harmony, intra-faith harmony, and to communicate to the whole of humanity the ultimate, realistic, rational and scientific message of Islam, that it is all about love, peace and mutual coexistence, he set up Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI) in 1981.  It had a long term strategic vision[3] to promote religious moderation, interfaith harmony and mutual coexistence.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri[4] was born in 1951 in the city of Jhang, Pakistan hailing from a family of scholars and teachers. He completed the traditional studies of classical and Arabic sciences under the tutelage of his father and other eminent scholars of his time.  He continued to travel around the Islamic world in pursuit of sacred knowledge and studied under many famous scholars of Mecca, Madina, Syria, Baghdad, Lebanon, the Maghreb, India and Pakistan.  In the academic sphere he received a First Class Honours Degree from the University of the Punjab in 1970.  After earning his MA in Islamic studies with distinction in 1972 and achieving his LLB in 1974, he began to practice law in the district courts of Jhang.  He moved to Lahore in 1978 and joined the University of the Punjab as a lecturer in Law and completed his doctorate in Islamic Law.  He was later appointed as a professor of Islamic Law and was the head of the department of Islamic legislation.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri was also a jurist advisor to the Federal Shariah Court and Appellate Shariah Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and an advisor on the development of Islamic Curricula to the Federal Ministry of Education. Within a short span of time Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has emerged as one of Pakistan’s leading Islamic jurists and scholars and one of the world’s most renowned and leading authorities on Islam.  He is also a prolific author[5], researcher and orator with over 500 books published[6] (with over 500 in various stages of publication) and has delivered over 6000 lectures[7] (in Urdu, English and Arabic) on a wide range of subjects. 

MQI has branches and centres in more than 90 countries[8] around the world. Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is the chairman of the Board of Governors of the Minhaj University Lahore[9] which is chartered by the government of Pakistan. He is the founder of Minhaj Education Society[10] which has established over 630 schools and colleges in Pakistan.  He is also the chairman of the charity Minhaj Welfare Foundation (MWF)[11] which is engaged in humanitarian and social welfare activities around the world.

There are many reasons why Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has emerged globally as a voice against extremist ideology.  One of them is that because he has been working on these lines for over 30 years, that gave credence and credibility to his message unlike others who may have recently adopted this course. Due to the fact that his whole vision on Islam was that if its true teachings are adhered to then Islam is a complete way of life and provides solutions to all modern day issues. Thus his propagation of the true teachings of Islam through his lectures on national TV[12] in the 1980s, circulation of his lectures on audio/video cassettes and CDs and his books automatically tackled inherent problems such as ignorance, lack of proper education, sectarianism and socio-economic inequality.  Sectarianism was linked to extremism and terrorism as it is always sectarian groups that turn to terrorism. Thus he addressed the root causes of extremism and terrorism by addressing sectarianism, conservatism and extremism which lead to radicalisation and terrorism. 

Photo: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri established the Muslim Christian Dialogue Forum (MCDF) in 1998

In addition to this he had been working on issues that had been affected by conservative and extreme interpretations of Islam such as clarifying misconceptions and misunderstanding on many aspects in Islamic creed and the perception of Islam in the West.  From the Islamic view on women rights to the concept of integration, he had dealt with such issues.  He had practically demonstrated interfaith harmony in Pakistan by setting up the Muslim Christian Dialogue Forum (MCDF)[13] in 1998 and having regular meetings and events[14] with Pakistani Christian leaders.  The most renowned of those was when he invited the Christian leaders to worship in the Minhaj-ul-Quran mosque[15] following in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who allowed a Christian delegation to pray in the Prophet’s Mosque. Furthermore he regularly celebrated Christmas[16] with the significant Christian community of Lahore.  Thus he was already very well known for his interfaith, intra-faith and coexistence credentials and for presenting Islam as a modern progressive religion. 

Photo: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri hosting Christmas celebrations for the Christian community in Lahore

In addition, in all conferences that he addressed around the world from the 80’s to the present day, he made sure members of other faiths, members of the government or political parties and different segments of society of that particular country were also guests at the conference so that along with the message of interfaith harmony, rebuttal of extremism and violence, the message of integration, multiculturalism and being a proud citizen of one’s respective country are also given together with prominent sections of society receiving this unique message and vision of Islam. This can be seen in the high profile conferences he addressed in Europe in the 80’s to South Africa, US, Canada in the 90’s, Turkey, Norway, Denmark, in the 2000’s, UK, USA, Canada, Australia in the 2010’s, to many other countries around the world in every decade.  These conferences ranged from interfaith conferences to those addressing misconceptions on Islam to international geopolitical issues. These conferences promoted brotherhood between the different communities around the world and in particular for the Muslim community to mutually coexist with other communities and members of other faiths with peace, love and harmony.  Misconceptions about Islam propagated in the media were solidly rebutted with the true concepts of Islam regarding those particular issues being highlighted.  These conferences were a means of building bridges and to create trust and understanding between different communities, faiths, cultures and civilisations.  The message delivered by Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri was that there is no clash of civilisations but rather the major religions are all linked to each other by all of them being Abrahamic religions.  They had many things in common.

His vision and ideology has from the very first day rebutted and rejected conservative and extreme interpretations of Islamic teachings. Which leads onto another reason why Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has emerged globally as a voice against extremist ideology which is his theoretical destruction of extremist ideology based on classical Islamic sources.  Being a leading authority upon Islam, this is why his views and opinions have more weight than those expressed by extremists upon what Islam really is.  This is why when he launched his Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings in 2010, it hit the global headlines[17] and his message that the terrorists are the ‘Dogs of Hell Fire’[18] was aired on TV screens and printed on newspaper front pages around the world. He had made it clear to the world that the terrorists had hijacked Islam and especially the concept of Jihad, which he had now set straight. 

Photo: Representative of the Arch Bishop of Canterbury asking a question in al-Hidayah 2009[19]

Another reason for the success of the Fatwa and the impact it had especially in the western world,  was his continued struggle against extremism, radicalisation and terrorism such as the annual al-Hidayah Youth Camps[20] which were being held since 2004 in the UK for western Muslim youth, which were addressed by Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri in English.  The aim of these retreats was to prevent radicalisation of Muslim youth by extremists, by presenting the true spiritual teachings of Islam together with addressing misconceptions and rebutting warped extremist concepts.  These 3 day retreats were attended by over a thousand youngsters from the UK, Europe and North America every year.  Again rather than restricting the message to the participants, the media are always invited to such events which is why the 2010 retreat was presented by the media as an ‘anti-terror camp’[21].  The coverage of the media took the message to the public regarding the true teachings of Islam opposed to what they hear about Islam normally through the media.  It also sent the message out that there are organisations and scholars who are rebutting extremism and who see terrorism as an affront to Islam.

Photo: Up to a thousand youngsters attended the annual al-Hidayah Retreats

The al-Hidayah retreats resulted in the Western media recognising the work and efforts of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri and identified his high profile upon tackling extremism.  This was the launching pad for the Fatwa in 2010.  The annual al-Hidayah retreats for the past six years had consistently conveyed the message of Islam being a religion of peace, love, mutual coexistence, advising Muslims in the West to conform to western ideals as well as Islamic ideals by embracing integration as well as multiculturalism.  Above all they were taught to be proud and responsible citizens of their respective western countries.  The media was always invited and was present in these retreats so they were by now fully aware of the teachings of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri against extremism and terrorism and his stance on mutual coexistence and integration. 

Also the role and power of the media was also clear to all, and the extremists were fully benefitting from the media and were having their warped version of Islam aired by the world’s media.  This was the reason why it was said that the terrorists had hijacked Islam and people were beginning to accept Islam to be what they saw on the media.  Recognising this, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri had made the media a crucial part of his anti-extremism strategy.  The media were doing the job of the terrorists for them by airing their message of hate.  This is why in the launch of the Fatwa Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri raised this issue with the world’s media and said that they must stop giving terrorists the publicity, as it is inadvertently strengthening them.  Secondly he said that referring to terrorists as Islamic or Muslim also gave their cause credibility, where in reality the activities of the terrorists were an affront to Islam and Muslims. 

Photo: Q&A during launch of Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings

Thus Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri’s continual work on extremism and radicalisation and his engagement with the media had placed him in the right place in order to successfully launch the Fatwa.  So in 2010 the Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings was officially launched[22] in London at a news conference by Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri himself.  Other than the national and international media, the launch was attended by members of the UK and EU parliaments, together with ambassadors, scholars, academics and representatives of think tanks.  In his address Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri made it clear that the 600 page Fatwa was a total and categorical condemnation of terrorism without any ifs and buts together with a comprehensive rebuttal of all the theological arguments that the terrorists use in order to present their ideology and practice to be Islamic.  He said it was an authentic and comprehensive scholarly response to the warped ideology of the terrorists, which was the first of its kind. He made it clear that in the past some scholars did not wholeheartedly condemn terrorism due to their ideological or theological conformity with the terrorists and always made excuses for the terrorists such as western military interventions in Muslim countries.   He made it clear that an act of terrorism takes the perpetrator outside the ambit of Islam because the act directly contradicted the clear cut teachings of the Holy Quran which state that taking one human life unjustly is tantamount to killing the whole of humanity.  He said terrorism had destroyed world peace.

He made it clear that Islam had given clear rules of combat in lawful war, the conditions of which had also been clearly laid out.  Non-combatants together with women, children, elderly, traders, farmers and diplomats could not be attacked but rather had to be protected.  War can only be declared by the head of an Islamic state which is the case for Jihad.  Lawful war is only that which is in self defence.  He also discussed the concept of Jihad in detail, clarifying what is and is not Jihad.  Jihad can only be declared by an Islamic state and not by any group or individual.  Any acts of violence perpetrated by any group or individuals in the name of Jihad will actually be a violation of the Holy Quran.  It is incumbent upon Muslim governments to eliminate such terrorists in their midst as they are a threat to society at large.  He also likened the terrorists and their ideology to the Kharijites and proved this through primary Islamic sources notably Hadiths of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which stated that Kharijites will emerge throughout human history and that they are the ‘dogs of Hellfire’.  In addition the many beliefs, physical features, practices of the Kharijites that were common with the modern day terrorists were also quoted from the Hadiths.  He also gave special emphasis upon the responsibility upon Muslims and the Muslim governments to protect minorities living in their country. Along with giving historical references from the Orthodox Islamic Caliphate to more recent ones, he quoted sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad upon his utter condemnation of the mistreatment of minorities living with Muslims. In particular that the Prophet had fixed capital punishment for a Muslim killing a non-Muslim who was living under the protection of the Islamic state.  This was necessary due to the way terrorists treat non-Muslim minorities.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri also gave the example of the first Islamic state that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) setup in Madina and the Constitution of Madina commonly known as the ‘Mithaq Madina’ which laid down equal rights and freedom of religion for followers of all religions.  It was the first written constitution in human history drafted by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).  Due to the importance of this document Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has written a book on it which he also mentioned.

The launch of the Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings was a great success due to the positive media coverage it received by the international media[23] with all major news outlets giving comprehensive coverage to it, together with interviews of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri.  This was a great step in taking Islam back from the terrorists as the world heard loud and clear from a renowned authority upon Islam that the terrorists had nothing to do with Islam and Muslims.  It had also basically knocked the extremists off the media as major news channels had adhered to the call by Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri in not promoting terrorists.  This was acknowledged by a BBC reporter on air, that a famous extremist had turned up at their news studios to give his response to the Fatwa launch but the BBC news editors decided not to interview him.  The Muslim community was in particular sick of seeing extremists upon the media representing their faith and speaking on their behalf. 

This great collaboration with the media in knocking off extremists from the media and clarifying the misconceptions about Islam that were created by them would not have been possible if Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri did not have a moderate, modern and progressive vision of Islam as many conservative and extreme scholars do not permit photography and video recording.  Thus his vision of Islam enabled him to ideologically combat and defeat a global evil which had threatened the very existence of the true teachings of Islam and world peace.  The Fatwa has also been translated in many European languages[24], Asian languages[25] and in Arabic so that it can be benefitted from in all over the world.

Photo: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri’s keynote speech at the George Town University, Washington D.C.

Following the launch of the Fatwa along with the many interviews to international media, he was invited to high profile conferences by governments, universities, think tanks and organisations around the world. The most prominent of them include a series of lectures in Washington DC in 2010. One of them was at the George Town University[26] where he was invited by the renowned scholar Professor John Esposito.  In his address to US government officials, US Army, Navy and Air Force cadets, academicians, policy makers and representatives of various organisations and agencies, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri focussed his lecture upon the clarification of the concept of Jihad in Islam, the concept of the Kharijite and clarification on the different abode classifications according to Islamic teachings as the extremists and terrorists also misuse them.  He said that all western countries are not Dar al-Harab – ‘abode of war’ as the extremists claim but are Dar al-Ahd (Abodes of permanent peace treaties) as they are part of the UN which introduced an international treaty of peace.

Photo: Taking questions after his talk at the United States Institute of Peace.

Another such an important lecture was at the prestigious think-tank the United States Institute of Peace[27].  Addressing an audience comprising of senior scholars, doctors, professors, engineers, policy makers and opinion leaders he gave a detailed lecture on the Islamic concept of Jihad.  He explained its actual meanings and categories and clarified the various confusions pertaining to it particularly in the light of the very Quranic verses that are used to misinterpret it.

Photo: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri presenting solutions to tackle terrorism at the WEF 2011

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri was also invited to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF)[28] in 2011 where he presented solutions in order to tackle terrorism. He gave a detailed talk in which he also covered how terrorism comes into being by evolving through five phases of conservatism, sectarianism, extremism, radicalisation and terrorism. He said a multi-pronged strategy was required to defeat terrorism. The Fatwa was also introduced to the audience by Mr John Chipman, Director-General and Chief Executive of International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).  Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri also elaborated on its importance. He also addressed a workshop on ‘Religion’s role in addressing global trends and challenges’. 

Photo: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri addressing The Peace for Humanity Conference, London, 2011

In order to practically advance his message of interfaith harmony and the true peaceful nature of Islam based upon integration, brotherhood and mutual coexistence Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri’s MQI arranged The Peace for Humanity Conference[29] at the Wembley Arena, UK in 2011.  This was a unique coming together of all faiths on one platform in a practical show of unity, love, brotherhood and mutual coexistence.  Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri presided over the Conference, which was also attended by human rights and peace activists, religious scholars, opinion leaders and key leaders and followers of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Over 11,000 people attended the conference with the conference being shown live on Muslim TV channels hence it was watched around the world.  The international media[30] also gave widespread coverage to it.  Leaders of all faiths prayed together for world peace according to their own religions with them all holding hands together to show that there is no mistrust or hate between them but they all respect each others faith.  This conference also shattered the myth created by extremists regarding the mistreatment of non-Muslims.   In his keynote lecture Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri gave the true concepts of Islam and corrected the misconceptions upon Jihad, treatment of non-Muslims, and many others.  He talked on Islam and the establishment of global peace. 

Photo: Leaders from all faiths attended The Peace for Humanity Conference

Other than the very high profile guests including the vice chancellor of the world famous al-Azhar university of Egypt, Dr Usama al-Abd and faith leaders from all of the religions, messages of support[31] for the conference were played from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of OIC Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Grand Shaykh of Al-Azhar University Shaykh al Azhar Professor Dr. Muhammad Ahmed al-Tayyib, British prime minister David Cameron, British Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, including many other British parliamentarians, members of the European parliament, academics, and many Muslim organisations.  The London Declaration[32] for Global Peace and Resistance against Extremism was launched at the conference.  It called for world peace, love, equality, brotherhood, mutual coexistence for members of all or no faiths, wherever they lived in the world. It was endorsed by the Grand Shaykh of Al-Azhar Dr Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyib, The World Association of Al-Azhar Graduates, religious representatives of all faiths, scholars, politicians and 11,000 participants from all around the world.  It was later signed by hundreds of thousands of people online.

Photo: The Peace for Humanity Conference was greatly attended

This conference also had a massive positive impact, it was viewed extensively live on Muslim TV channels by Muslims.  National and international media covered it again, alongside interviewing Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri and airing his lecture to the conference.  True teachings of Islam were again being presented to the world and terrorist ideology was again dismantled and destroyed. 

Photo: Leaders of all faiths standing hand in hand to show brotherhood and interfaith harmony

This conference was further evidence of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri’s message and influence reaching far beyond the general public through the media, as the corridors of power were also recognising his efforts, message and mission.  The invitation to the WEF, the Washington DC tour and also this conference were proof of this which was evidence that his solutions were being taken seriously by world powers, governments and influential world bodies.  In addition to this the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) formally recognised and granted