KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghan and Indian Ulema have declared war in Afghanistan as illegitimate and contrary to the teaching of Islam, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Friday.
“The Islamic religious scholars and Ulema from various Islamic institutions in India and Afghanistan, in a gathering titled “The First Gathering of the Islamic Scholars of Afghanistan and India” held Wednesday, December the 30th 2020, at (IICC) Centre in New Delhi, issued a declaration calling the current war in Afghanistan as “illegitimate” and contrary to the teachings of Islam,” the statement said The declaration also stated that “targeting of civilian institutions and public infrastructures by the Taliban went against the basic teachings of Islam and therefore it is illegitimate and has no religious justification.”
The full text of the declaration is as follows: Joint Declaration of the Islamic Scholars of Afghanistan and India on the War in Afghanistan. New Delhi, December 30th, 2020: Islam is a religion of peace and it urges harmony and unity among Muslims, hence we call on both warring parties in Afghanistan to stop war and declare and immediate nationwide ceasefire
The war and violence perpetrated against the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan by the Taliban, and targeting of civilian institutions and public infrastructures by the Taliban goes against the basic teachings of Islam and therefore it is illegitimate and has no religious justification. We call on both the Taliban and the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to rise to the occasion and seize this rare opportunity to accelerate their negotiations for establishing a just and lasting peace in Afghanistan.
We support the steps taken by the government of Afghanistan to pave the way for reaching an enduring peace. In the past 19 years Afghanistan has made remarkable progress in various spheres, we urge that these hard-gained achievements to be preserved and protected.
We call on other Ulema and Islamic scholars to come forward in support of the peace process in Afghanistan and raise their voice against the heinous attacks on innocent people and to call on the Taliban to agree to a nationwide ceasefire and embrace peace.
