Somali Islamic scholars issue fatwa denouncing al-Shabab

Somali religious scholars have issued a fatwa denouncing al-Shabab, saying the group had no place in Islam.

It is the first time Somali religious leaders have come up with a fatwa against the group, which controls much of the country, the BBC reports.

At a conference on the phenomenon of extremism in Mogadishu, nearly 160 scholars said it condemned al-Shabab's use of violence.

According to the report, one of the aims of the conference was to issue Islamic opinion on whether the group had legitimacy or not.

The scholars finally issued a fatwa concluding that the group is not an Islamic movement.

The report said that Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud opened the government-organised conference.

Last week, al-Shabab used Twitter to claim it had ambushed the president's convoy.