Patna, June 1: After Darul Uloom Deoband, Jamait Ulema-e-Hind, one of the leading Islamic bodies in the country, today issued a fatwa against terror and stood by peace, stating that Islam stands for “war against terrorism”.

“There is no place for terrorists in Prophet Mohammed’s faith. There is no relation between terrorism and Islam,” stressed Maulana Syed Mahmood Asad Madani, the newly elected national president of the Jamait Ulema-e-Hind, while presiding over the anti-terrorism convention organised by the Madarsa Co-ordination committee here.

Representatives of 1,000 madarsas, besides noted clerics from across the country, had gathered at the assemblage deliberating on terrorism.

Madani added: “Islam by its very meaning stands for aman (peace). The first and foremost duty of a Muslim is to stand and fight against violent and unfair elements killing the innocent and the unarmed.”

Madani pointed out that time warranted upon the Muslims to step up their jehad (campaign) against terrorism and its sons.

“Terrorists in the name of Islam have been perpetrating violence on the innocent in many parts of the world, besides India,” he added.

Representatives of the madarsas, in a joint statement at the convention, conceded that terrorists were bringing a “bad name” to madarsas, institutions set up to spread the light of knowledge in the sub-continent.

Thus, it is imperative on the part of the madarsa teachers to meet the challenges thrown by the terrorists, modernise themselves and live up to the original idea of education — urged leaders while talking to the devout gathered at the event.

“Several acts of terrorism stemming from certain schools have given rise to an idea that madrasas are an abode of militancy training and extremism. Any institution imparting training in militancy can not be referred to as a madarsa,” said the representative.

Madani called for the Muslim educationists and madarsa representatives to introduce modern methods of education, including the computer sciences, mathematics and humanities in Islamic schools, so that its students could compete with their counterparts from other communities.

Yesterday, it was Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband that had issued a fatwa against terrorism in New Delhi.

Mahmood Asad Madani who deliberated on anti- terrorism today was also party to the New Delhi fatwa signed by Darul-Ulum Deoband’s grand mufti Habibur Rahman.