UK Muslim leaders issue fatwa condemning Britons who join jihadi extremists

Strong condemnation by Muslims of Britons joining Islamic extremists

Fatwa is an edict issued by a learned Muslim scholar about Islamic life



Comes as Britain's terror threat is hiked from 'substantial' to 'severe'

Muslim leaders have issued a fatwa condemning British jihadis, it was revealed today.

The fatwa, which has been issued by some of the country’s top imams, is the strongest condemnation yet by the Muslim community of Britons joining Islamic extremists.

It comes as Britain's terror threat was hiked from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe’ in response to conflicts in Iraq and Syria, and the seemingly growing influence of the Islamic State terror group.



Scroll down for video



Terror threat: The fatwa is the strongest condemnation yet by the Muslim community of Britons joining Islamic extremists, and comes amid the seemingly growing influence of the Islamic State terror group (file picture)

Response to conflicts: Home Secretary Theresa May (pictured) said Britain's new terror threat level of 'severe' rated the risk of an attack on the UK as 'highly likely'

Home Secretary Theresa May said the new alert level rated the risk of an attack on the UK as ‘highly likely’, although she said there was no evidence to suggest one was ‘imminent’.

The fatwa has been endorsed by senior Islamic scholars including Sheikh Qamaruzzaman Azmi of the World Islamic Mission, and Sheikh Muhammad Shahid Raza of The Muslim Law Shariah Council UK.

A fatwa, an edict issued by a learned Muslim scholar, may concern any aspect of Islamic life. Technically it cannot be revoked and dies only with the person it is directed against.

Six senior scholars have endorsed the fatwa, describing Britons allied to IS cells as ‘heretics’. It has also been backed by former Labour home secretary Jack Straw and former Foreign Office minister Baroness Warsi.

According to The Sunday Times, the fatwa states Muslims have a ‘moral obligation’ to help those in war-torn Syria and Iraq, but that they should do so ‘without betraying their own societies’.

Support: The fatwa has been backed by former Labour home secretary Jack Straw (left) and former Foreign Office minister Baroness Warsi (right)

Controversial: The term fatwa became famous in the West in 1989 after the author Salman Rushdie (pictured) was forced into hiding following a 'death fatwa' issued by Ayatollah Khomeni, then Supreme Leader of Iran

Sheikh Raza told the newspaper: ‘Many scholars from diverse theological backgrounds and schools are supporting it, so it carries a lot of weight.

'I hope that our young people will listen to what we are saying in this statement' Sheikh Muhammad Shahid Raza

‘I hope that our young people will listen to what we are saying in this statement. The fatwa will work to provide a better environment for safety and security.’

The term fatwa became famous in the West in 1989 after the author Salman Rushdie was forced into hiding following a ‘death fatwa’ issued by Ayatollah Khomeni, then Supreme Leader of Iran.

It was on the grounds that his 1988 book, The Satanic Verses, had ‘insulted’ Islam.