Dr Qadri launches anti-terrorism curriculum in UK

LONDON: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chairman Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has launched a “counter-terrorism” curriculum to rebut the message of militant groups such as Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda, so that young Muslims in Europe could be stopped from becoming radicalised and heading to Syria and other conflict zones to join terror groups.
Dr Qadri was joined at the Westminster Hall for the launch event by a large number of representatives of various Islamic organisations, former cabinet minister Sayeeda Warsi, MP Khalid Mahmood and representatives of various think tanks and media.
The 900-page counter-terrorism curriculum includes a “fatwa” on terrorism, which declares terrorists as disbelievers and condemns suicide bombers as destined for hellfire. Dr Qadri said that the anti-IS curriculum has already received endorsements from hundreds of UK-based Imams, mosques and Muslim organisations and called on the UK government to make the syllabus part of the curriculum, so that the young British Muslims could be empowered to fight extremism through Islamic theological arguments.
Dr Qadri said, “It’s absolutely imperative that Imams, clerics and parents take responsibility and teach the counter-arguments as outlined in our curriculum to protect young Muslims from being brainwashed by evil IS propaganda. Those who brainwash youngsters into becoming suicide bombers by presenting to them rewards of martyrdom and paradise should know that Allah Almighty has fixed the punishment of everlasting Hell for those who commit suicide.”
He said the fact that about 700 Britons have travelled to Syria and Iraq, a 17-year-old from northern England blew himself up in Iraq a few days ago in an IS suicide attack and three British Pakistani sisters are believed to have travelled to Syria with their nine children means that the issue of radicalisation of the young people online and on the ground in Britain and elsewhere is a serious matter which can be defeated through the promotion of true teachings of Islam. He said that the recruitment by terror groups such as IS must be stopped through a counter peace campaign.
“We want to make clear that all activities being carried out by IS or any other terrorist and extremist organisation either in the name of God or religion or establishing any kind of Islamic state by acts of violence ... are totally in violation of teaching of the Holy Quran and Islam.
These people are distorting the teachings of Islam to suit their agenda and they must be defeated. He said the young people were leaving behind life of privileged and leisure to join some of the most misguided people just because they didn’t have the true perspective of Islam taught to them. “They are our children. They are our sons and daughters. We have to save the future of mankind.”
He added, “The most profound challenge comes not from the IS or other terrorist groups but from the extremist ideology and the terrorist theology, which aims at creating hatred and narrow thinking and exclusion to further their hate agenda. Killing innocent people is condemnable and un-Islamic, Islamic state cannot come into being on the basis of terrorism and killings.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) protected human rights of all communities and prioritised saving human lives. There should be an unambiguous condemnation of terrorism and extremist ideology.”
Dr Qadri said that it was the Khawariji ideology, which was ripping apart the world and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had predicted that a group will rise one day which will act in the name of Islam but in reality will have nothing to do with Islam.
Dr Qadri said that “de-radicalisation should be taken as a subject and counter-terrorism should be taken as a subject”. He said that his curriculum draws on the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) “based on love and tolerance and coexistence and togetherness” in order to dismantles what he considers the flawed ideology of terror groups.
The launch of the curriculum comes after Prime Minister David Cameron called on Muslim communities to do more to stop young people being radicalised by groups such as IS, saying some Muslims were quietly condoning extremist views.
Speaking to The News, Dr Qadri said that he will be launching the same curriculum in Pakistan later this month. He said radicalisation and terrorism was one of Pakistan’s main issues. He called on the stakeholders to adopt the anti-extremism curriculum to beat the murderous ideology of terrorists.
Sayeeda Warsi, former minister under Cameron and the first Muslim to serve in a British cabinet, called on the UK govt departments to consider using the curriculum in all schools to thwart designs of extremists. She slated Prime Minister David Cameron for his recent comments in which he said that British Muslims “quietly condone” IS type groups.
“The British Muslim community is part of the solution,” she said. “British Muslim communities do not quietly condone IS. They condemn IS. They gave come out here today to make it clear that they are in the forefront of fighting jihadi extremism.”
Warsi said that the British government has made a huge mistake by disengaging with a large number of British Muslim organisations. She said that the government should listen to all organisations and then adopt a common strategy to defeat extremism.