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Sunday, December 14, 2014
Egypt’s Al-Azhar stops short of declaring ISIS apostates

Egypt’s Al-Azhar stops short of declaring ISIS apostates
Azhar statement rejects practice of takfirism
Asharq Al-Awsat 13 Dec, 2014
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=747154

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt’s Al-Azhar, the country’s leading Sunni
religious institute, has issued a statement formally rejecting the labeling
of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters as apostates.

Takfirism, the practice of one Muslim declaring another to be an apostate,
is controversial within Islam. While this is something that is actively
practiced by Islamist groups like ISIS, it is generally rejected by
adherents of mainstream interpretations of Islam.

“Al-Azhar rejects the takfirism of ISIS . . . Because takfirism cannot be
applied to any believer, regardless of his sins,” Al-Azhar said in a
statement in response to comments made by the Mufti of Nigeria during last
week’s counter-terrorism conference in Cairo.

During the conference, Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb called for joint
Islamic efforts to combat ISIS. “Division, strife and polarization are the
main tactics extremists are using to divide the Islamic nation,” Tayeb said.
He stressed that ISIS militants are acting “under the guise of this holy
religion and have given themselves the name ‘Islamic State’ in an attempt to
export their false Islam.”

The Mufti of Nigeria Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh Al-Hussaini later issued similar
comments during the counter-terrorism conference, saying ISIS are promoting
a “false” Islam.

Despite acknowledging that ISIS is following a false interpretation of
Islam, Azhar stopped short of explicitly saying that the jihadist group is
non-Islamic, particularly given the controversy that surrounds takfirism.

The Azhar statement said: “The Mufti of Nigeria did not practice takfirism
against ISIS or any other group, but he clarified that the actions being
taken by this group are not in line with Islam.”

“All the clerics and religious figures who attended the counter-terrorism
conference are well aware that they cannot issue such judgments against any
believer, regardless of his sins. It is one of the tenants of Islam that
only when one denies the shahada [the creed declaring that there is no God
but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger] that somebody can be said to be an
apostate.”

The modern-day practice of takfirism was developed by Muslim Brotherhood
ideologue Sayyid Qutb. He argued that the modern world was in a state of
jahiliyaah, pre-Islamic ignorance, that lacked Islamic authority and
therefore some Islamic provisions could be circumvented, including those
governing who is, and is not, Muslim. This is an interpretation that has
been roundly rejected by the majority of mainstream Islamic bodies and
scholars, including Al-Azhar.

Walid Abdul Rahman contributed reporting from Cairo

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