 Sanjay Pandita
Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 10: Exactly a month after the November 10 car bombing near Delhi’s Red Fort—an attack linked to a Jaish-e-Mohammed-backed "White Coat" terror module—prominent religious scholars have launched a strong counter-narrative against attempts to justify suicide bombings through distorted religious interpretations.
The blast, carried out using an explosives-laden vehicle, claimed at least 15 lives. In its aftermath, investigators recovered a chilling video featuring the alleged perpetrator, Dr. Umar un Nabi, a qualified medical professional associated with the module. In the footage, Dr. Nabi is seen calmly describing suicide bombing as a “martyrdom operation”, claiming it is “known in Islam” and merely “misunderstood”.
According to investigative agencies, the video was designed to lure and radicalize wavering recruits by cloaking a prohibited act in religious legitimacy.
Experts, however, warn that such linguistic manipulation—replacing “suicide bombing” with terms like “martyrdom” or “self-sacrifice”—is an old tactic used by extremist ideologues to bypass Islam’s unequivocal prohibition on suicide and the killing of innocents.
Eminent Islamic scholar Altaf Mir, who is a research scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia, cautioned that those glorifying Dr. Nabi’s actions were “exploiting innocent youth in the name of religion”.
“Suicide is categorically forbidden in Islam,” Mir said. “The religious scriptures prohibit intentionally taking one’s own life, especially when it results in the indiscriminate killing of innocents. No act of rebellion or violence—whether harming, intimidating, or usurping—can be justified in the name of religion.”
He added that all Islamic schools of thought impose an absolute ban on suicide under any circumstance. “Strapping explosives to one’s body or detonating a vehicle in a crowded market, knowing it will certainly end one’s own life, is the very definition of casting oneself into destruction. No strategic goal, no claimed oppression, and no invented ‘operation’ can override this divine command.”
Mir cautioned that extremists often misinterpret verses praising martyrdom to justify terrorism. “A Shahid is one who is unjustly killed while defending faith, life, or the oppressed against aggression. A true martyr is slain by the enemy—not by detonating himself while killing civilians,” he said.
He noted that thousands of Islamic scholars worldwide have issued fatwas declaring suicide bombings haram and terrorism against civilians as completely outside the fold of Islam. Authorities like Shaykh Tahir-ul-Qadri, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Ayatollah Sistani, and Egypt’s Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy have all condemned such acts as kufr and fundamentally incompatible with legitimate jihad.
Dr. Nabi’s rhetoric, scholars say, reflects a tragic distortion: a doctor trained to save lives instead promoting death under the guise of devotion. His composed demeanour in the video, they argue, signals ideological indoctrination rather than religious insight—an example of how radicalization preys even on educated individuals.
In a diverse nation like India, where the Muslim community has consistently upheld constitutional values despite provocations, such extremist distortions carry serious consequences. They not only devastate families but also fuel unwarranted suspicion and deepen communal fault lines.
The overwhelming majority of Indian Muslims, scholars emphasize, reject such extremist narratives unequivocally. |
