Attacking ulema is not jihad, says Fazl

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the emir of his eponymous Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), has said taking up arms against religious scholars is not jihad but narrow mindedness and terrorism. "The people who killed my teacher and a religious scholar are not mujahids but murderers. It is not possible to call my teacher a martyr and his murderer a mujahid," Fazl said on Sunday during his visit to Darul Uloom Haqqania to offer his condolences to the family of Maulana Hamidul Haq. Maulana Hamidul Haq, the chief of the JUI-S, was assassinated last week in a suicide attack on the eve of Ramazan at his seminary at Akora Khattak. Hamid was the son of the late Maulana Samiul Haq, who was considered a founding figure for both the Afghan and Pakistani branches of the Taliban. Many Afghan Taliban had studied at Haq's seminary. Fazl said some people, under the banner of jihad, are charting a path to paradise. "Yet raising a gun against a religious scholar is narrow-mindedness not jihad." He said some extremists were targeting even mosques and in Balochistan a religious scholar was recently killed during prayer. "How can a gun be used against a Muslim and a religious scholar? In Islam, the killing of one person is tantamount to the killing of all humanity. Any use of a gun against Islam is not jihad—it is terrorism," he added. Referring to the attack, Fazl likened extremist ideologies to storm winds that were bound to pass. "These madaris, mosques and ulema will prevail and the enemy will face embarrassment," he added. He said the attack on Maulana Hamidul Haq was an attack on his home, his madrasa and his center of learning. Fazl said just when the grief over Maulana Samiul Haq's martyrdom was still fresh, this heinous incident had shattered his heart. "I was on an Umrah when I received this tragic news. The shock I experienced cannot be put into words. Maulana Hamidul Haq was an innocent religious scholar; his only crime was his association with Darul Uloom Haqqania. The very walls of the Darul Uloom are in mourning." Fazl revealed that he had received information that an operation was about to be launched at Darul Uloom Haqqania. "When I met with state officials, I asked about this operation, and I told them that if such an intention is pursued it will cost dearly. I told them that the JUI-F does not engage in weapon-based politics but if any move is made against Darul Uloom Haqqania, a response will follow." He said the creed and methodology of the great ones have been entrusted to him, and he would uphold them. Fazl said he felt like cursing the people who were attacking the ulema.

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