Minaj-ul-Quran

This article is part of the Counter-Terrorism Portal project of Spinwatch.

Minaj-ul-Quran is an international Islamic non-governmental organisation, (claiming to be non-political) that is situated in Lahore, Pakistan. It has a presence in over 80 countries worldwide and was founded in 1980/1981 by Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a Sufi scholar, former Pakistani Minister and friend of deceased Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Dr Qadri now resides in Canada.

Minaj-ul-Quran emerged within the mainstream UK media in January 2010, when it issued a 600 page fatwa condemning suicide bombings and organised a weekend 'anti-terror camp' at Warwick University on 07-08 August 2010 for the purpose of de-radicalising Muslims'..

Fatwa on Suicide Bombing

In March 2010, Minaj-ul-Quran issued a 600 page Fatwa which declared that suicide bombings and terrorism were "totally un-Islamic".. The fatwa argues that attacks against all innocent citizens are "absolutely against the teachings of Islam and that Islam does not permit such acts on any excuse, reason or pretext ... all these acts are grave violations of human rights and constitute kufr, disbelief, under Islamic law.".

The Quilliam Foundation, an anti-extremism think-tank that received approximately £1 million funding from the British government argued that the fatwa was "a highly significant step towards eradicating Islamist terrorism ... [and rebutting] ... fatwas by Wahhabi-influenced clerics and Islamist ideologues initiated [sic] modern terrorism against civilians."

The Quilliam Foundation also stated that the fatwa was important becuase:

• Minhaj-ul-Quran is a major grass-roots organisation with hundreds of thousands of followers in South Asia and the UK.
• Dr Tahir ul-Qadri is a widely recognised and respected authority on Islamic jurisprudence.
• The fatwa condemns suicide bombers as destined for hell, which helps remove extremists’ certainty of earning paradise after death.
• The 600-page fatwa is arguably the most comprehensive theological refutation of Islamist terrorism to date.
• Dr Tahir ul-Qadri’s fatwa will set an important precedent and will allow other scholars to similarly condemn the ideas behind terrorism.

Anti-Terror/De-radicalisation Camp

Before the events launch, Dr Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri stated:

"I feel it is my duty to save the younger generation from radicalisation and wave [sic] of terroristic recruitment in the West ... I have announced an intellectual and spiritual war against extremism and terrorism. I believe this is the time for moderate Islamic scholars who believe in peace to stand up."

Even though the organisation is receipt of no UK government funding, the Times argued that "its agenda is comparable to the official Prevent strategy, under which community organisations are encouraged to work together to counter extremism.

See Also

• Musharraf Hussain al-Azhari
• Karimia Institute