All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi ( in picture ) has hit out at the Islamic State (IS) in the context of the suicide bombing at Medina, calling the group’s fighters “dogs of hell”.
Mr. Owaisi made his speech at a public meeting in Hyderabad on Friday, where representatives from various Islamic schools converged to condemn the outfit.
“Attack by the Islamic State (IS) near the Prophet’s mosque was the handiwork of enemies of Islam. The Islamic State is demonising Islam and its militants are dogs of hell,” he said. “The IS has nothing to do with Islam and its principles and tenets, and, in fact, all its activities are meant to strike at the very roots of Islam.”
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“This was a public meeting against the bomb blast at Medina. Ulemas of all schools — Barelwis, Deobandis and Ahl-e-Hadis — passed a joint resolution condemning the IS,” Mr. Owaisi told
Asked whether he took a stand on the speeches of preacher Zakir Naik — whom one of the Dhaka attack accused cited as his inspiration — Mr. Owaisi said: “I have said nothing about him. I have spoken out against the IS in the wake of the Medina suicide attack.”
Referring to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Mr. Owaisi said at the public meeting that true Muslims would find him and cut him into 100 pieces.
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Mr. Owaisi’s sharp attack on the IS comes days after he offered to provide legal aid to Hyderabad IS suspects. Mr. Owaisi defended this offer, saying legal aid was a right under the Indian law. “I don’t understand this hue and cry. Ultimately, it is up to courts to pronounce guilt,” he said.
At the Hyderabad meeting, Mr. Owaisi said the IS was not related to Islam and true Muslims should work to destroy it.
‘IS not related to Islam’
Referring to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Mr. Owaisi said at the meeting that true Muslims would find him and cut him into 100 pieces. Mr. Owaisi said the IS was not related to Islam and true Muslims should work to destroy it.
Mr. Owaisi’s sharp attack on the IS comes days after he offered to provide legal aid to Hyderabad IS suspects. Mr. Owaisi defended this offer, saying legal aid was a right under the Indian law. “I don’t understand this hue and cry. Ultimately, it is up to courts to pronounce guilt,” he said.