'They are enemies of humankind, enemies of Islam,' says prominent Pakistani Islamic scholar Tahir ul Qadri.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group claims its ideology is rooted in Islam, but for some Islamic scholars that is far from the case.

Tahir ul Qadri, a widely respected Islamic scholar in Pakistan, called ISIL "the enemies of Islam".

"They have nothing to do with Islam ...They are distorting Islam. They are exploiting the name of Islam," says ul Qadri, who once wrote a 600-page religious decree condemning "terrorism". "They are enemies of humankind, enemies of Islam."

The discussion also went on to include a debate over Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law and how it's applied.

In this week's Headliner, prominent Islamic scholar Tahir ul Qadri attacks ISIL's un-Islamic ideology and discusses Pakistan's blasphemy law.

Editor's note: For more from this interview, click here.

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Source: Al Jazeera News