Fatwa Bans Suicide Bombings

Agence France-Presse reports that a prominent London-based militant Islamic scholar has issued a fatwa banning suicide operations:

"To my mind, these operations are closer to suicide than to martyrdom-seeking, and they are taboo and not permissible" for a number of reasons, wrote Syrian-born Abdul Menem Mustafa Halimeh, alias Abu Baseer al-Tartussi, on his website.

The Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat, which reported Tartussi's fatwa on Saturday, described him as a top ideologue for Islamist militants and said his edict had provoked angry reactions on Islamist websites, with some accusing him of letting down Al-Qaeda followers.

Tartussi cited several reasons for banning suicide operations including:

Suicide violates dozens of (Islamic) religious texts; and

Suicide bombings often "wrongfully killing innocent and sacred souls, be they Muslim or otherwise."

Tartussi's fatwa is one more step towards victory in the War Against Terrorism.

Comments

[Release The Hounds!]

I'm still skeptical since I understand that in the eyes of many Muslims being part of an infidel group that is deemed hostile to Islam makes you a priori non-innocent. I will therefore withhold judgment for a bit.

[Kent]

I find it encouraging that the fatwah specifically includes non-Muslims among the innocent.