The Age Indonesian clerics issue terror ban December 17, 2003 - 6:05PM
Indonesia's peak Islamic body has placed a ban on terrorism and suicide bombings. The Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) issued a binding religious decree, or fatwa, on terrorism and suicide bombings following its annual meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday. After a day-long debate, the council ruled that terrorism was unacceptable under any definition of jihad, or holy struggle, falling outside the teachings of the Koran. "Terrorism is haram (forbidden), whether it is terror done by individuals, groups or states," the fatwa said. But jihad was still acceptable for oppressed Muslims, while death by suicide was still allowable in war zones where the intention was to create fear and more loss of life for the enemies of Islam, the council ruled. "It should not be done in a non-war place, where it can cause someone to be killed," the ruling said.
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Ma'ruf Amin, chairman of the MUI's fatwa commission, meanwhile, said the commission had also agreed to ban commercial bank interest paid to customers, which poses problems for observant Muslims because it is seen as usury, which is forbidden in Islamic scripture. Alternative Islamic or shariah banks work along the lines of venture capital companies and allocate returns to investors based on their financial performance. Ma'ruf said the commission had decided to prohibit interest charged by financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, pawn houses, and cooperatives.
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©2003 AAP
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