Condemned as “Outside the Parameters of Islam”
Most of the murders carried out by fanatics claiming to act in the na
me of Islam have been of Muslims who refused to submit to the fanatics’ understanding of Islam. Now the war has been openly declared within Islam, as Muslim clerics in Spain have issued a formal decision declaring that
“We declare that Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda organisation, responsible for the horrendous crimes against innocent people who were despicably murdered in the March 11 terrorist attack in Madrid, are outside the parameters of Islam.”
The Times of London and CNN also carry stories.
It’s a good thing that finally some Muslim clerics are taking the initiative to speak out on the issues of theology that bin Laden perverts. Part of Islam’s conundrum is that it is so decentralized that bin Laden has as much authority to issue fatwahs as the clerics in Spain as do I, were I Muslim. A lot of Islam–the Qu’ran and the hadith–are open to interpretation. It’s a good sign to see that there are some who interpret it in a pieceful manner.