OnIslam & News Agencies
Wednesday, 03 September 2014 00:00
The top Islamic authority in Egypt, Dar Al-Ifta or Fatwa House, has also voiced similar condemnations.
CAIRO – The beheading of journalist Steven Sotloff, coupled with that of James Foley in August, has sparked immediate angry condemnations to the “un-Islamic” Islamic State, formerly known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as never justified by Islam even in time of war.
“The beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff by the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) in Syria is nothing but a barbaric act and a horrible crime that goes against the noble teachings of Islam. Killing innocent people is never justified by Islam,” Dr. Wael Shihab, who has a PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University, told OnIslam.net.
“Journalists, like all civilians, are protected by Islamic laws as well as all world conventions even in times of war. So, the reported crime of the IS, which Muslim communities all over the world denounce, is a clear violation to the universals and values of Islam.
“Therefore, perpetrators of this horrific act of violence should be brought to justice for such an unwarranted crime,” he added.
Dr Shihab’s condemnations followed the release of a video on Tuesday purportedly showing American journalist Steven Sotloff beheaded by ISIL militants.
It was the second such beheading in the past week, following that of the British journalist James Foley by the same group.
He added that Islamic holy book, the Qur’an, and the sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet (peace be upon him) eject and never justify the murder of innocents.
“Islam has preceded all world laws in defending innocent people. Islamic law even considers the unjust killing of a single person as horrific and punishable as killing all people,” Dr Shihab said.
“Allah says, {Whosoever kills a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if be had killed all mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had: saved the life of all mankind.} (Al-Ma’idah 5: 32)
Also, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “A believer remains within the scope of his religion as long as he doesn’t kill another person illegally,” he added.
Sotloff was a freelance journalist from Miami who wrote for Time magazine.
In the video of the beheading, ISIL added that a British hostage would be beheaded next. The group claimed its actions were in retaliation for continued US airstrikes in Iraq.
Egypt Too
The top Islamic authority in Egypt, Dar Al-Ifta or Fatwa House, has also voiced similar condemnations.
Sotloff’s murder is “horrendous act by Al-Qaeda separatists to distort the image of Islam and Muslims worldwide”, state-owned Al-Ahram reported quoting the Fatwa House.
Earlier on Wednesday, senior assistant to Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawky Allam, Ibrahim Negm, published an article on the institution’s official English website, titled “Is brutally killing people a part of an Islamic state?”
In the article, he commented on the latest acts of murder by Islamist militants in Iraq, saying that clear religious verses in the Qur’an prohibit murder and suicide.
He emphasized the value of human life in Islam, saying that one life is worth the lives of an entire nation, and that “God views murder as a major sin, condemning the offender in the afterlife.”
Earlier in August, Dar Al-Ifta launched an international campaign aiming at reaching out to foreign media outlets to urge them to avoid using the term “Islamic State” to describe ISIL and replace it with Al-Qaeda Separatists in Iraq and the Levant or (QSIL).
Moreover, Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam had condemned the militants for atrocities they have been perpetrating in the countries and their violation of principles and teachings preached by Islam.
Allam said the terrorists are members of a corrupt and extremist organization, describing the group as a danger to Islam as a whole.
The mufti further noted that fighting terrorism requires international and regional cooperation at all levels.
Saudi Arabia labeled Islamic State, Al Qaeda, Syria’s Al-Nusra Front and other groups as “terrorist” in March and imposed long prison terms for offering them public support or giving them moral or material aid.
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