Cong welcomes fatwa against Hafiz Saeed, says 'good message' from Muslims

Welcoming the 'fatwa' issued against Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed by Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat in Bareilly declaring him anti-Islamic and a man of terrorist ideology, the Congress Party on Friday said it is a good message that is going down from the Muslims to the country at large.

Congress leader Tom Vadakkan told ANI that this kind of terrorist needs to be eliminated from the hierarchy of the Muslim leadership.

"I think it is a deserving case and for the first time a fatwa has been issued. the message came from the minority Muslim section of the society that this kind of violent terrorist who is sitting in Pakistan and creating havoc in India is not acceptable. And that's a good message that is going down from the Muslims to the country at large," he said.

The fatwa issued by Mohammed Saleem Barelvi, an Islamic seminary in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, has asked every Muslim not to follow Saeed and his ideologies.

The 'fatwa' was issued by Manzar-e-Islam Saudagaran, an institution associated with Dargah Ala Hazrat, in a reply to a question asked by Mohammad Moinuddin of Jaipur.

Barelvi, in his letter, had written that Saeed influences the people in killing and terrorist activities and questioned whether such a person has the right to call himself a Muslim.

He asked whether such a person can be considered a Muslim and whether it is right to follow his preaching.

In his 'fatwa', Mufti Saleem said that having any type of connection with persons working against the dignity of Allah and the Prophet was illegal and 'haraam', an act that is forbidden by Allah.

It stated that any person who regards Saeed as Muslim is a coward.

It said that considering him as Muslim and listening to his words was also illegal and prohibited.

As per the fatwa, Saeed was a man with terrorist ideology, who with his acts has brought infamy to Islam and Muslims across the world. Therefore, it was compulsory for every Muslim not to follow him and keep away from his ideology.