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Ulama decide to counter violent ideologies through political and academic responses

The Islamist organizations construct their arguments around religion and political rhetoric to effectively propagate their violent ideologies. A proper response to such ideologies of the Islamists should therefore emphasize the use of the same methodology. The state, religious scholars, or Ulama, and intellectuals share the responsibility to guide the people about the critical issues that factor in creation of violent tendencies in Pakistan’s society. These views were expressed by the participant religious scholars at a one-day dialogue on the issues of Takfeer (declaring some non-Muslim or out of Islam) and Khurooj (going out/rebellion against state) organized by Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) in Islamabad. The dialogue was the third in a series of dialogue on the subjects of Takfeer and Khurooj.

Renowned religious scholar and former chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology Dr. Khalid Masood said in his presiding address that emergence of the issues of Takfeer and Khurooj in Islamic history had a political context. He urged the Ulamato debate and analyze these issues in both political and academic perspectives.  The participant speakers in of the first session included: Dr. Qibla Ayaz, Director, Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Peshawar; Mufti Muhammad Zahid, Vice Principal, Jamia Islamia Imdadia, Faisalabad; Dr. Rashid Ahmad, Assistant Professor, Sheikh Zaid Islamic Center, University of Peshawar; Muhammad Zahid Siddique, Assistant Professor, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences; and Mujtaba Rathore, research analyst at PIPS. They presented their papers on the topic of “Issue of Takfeerand Khurooj in the contemporary times”.

The speakers in the second session included: Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Sajjad, Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Thought, Allama Iqbal Open University; Dr. Hassan Madni, Director, Islamic Studies Department, Jamia Lahore Al-Islamia; renowned religious scholar Khurshid Nadeem; and Maulana Ammar Khan Nasir, Vice Principal, Al-Shariah Academy Gujranwala. The speakers discussed in depth the issue of Khurooj in perspective of Constitution of Pakistan.  In his concluding remarks, Director PIPS Muhammad Amir Rana said that the debate had led to some new approaches to understand the issue, academicians however looked at the subject in a different way.

(A detailed report on the series of dialogue among religious scholars on Takfeer and Khurooj will be soon available in printed form)

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