Fatwa should address 100 verses on violence in Koran
By Art Toalston
Associated Baptist Press
(BP) – A fatwa, or religious edict, against terrorism by a council of Muslim scholars is something we do indeed welcome, a leading Baptist expert on Islam said, though noting that it falls short of effectively addressing the death and destruction wrought by Islamic radicals. Anis Shorrosh, author of several books on Islam who, as an evangelist, has debated Muslim scholars in the United States, England, Canada and other countries, noted: Muslim scholars worldwide must agree that the nearly 100 verses in the Quran [Koran] which promote fighting and killing can no longer be valid. Otherwise, terrorism by Muslim fanatics will continue until the end of time. Shorrosh cited one such Koranic verse: “I will strike terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Smite, then, the upper part of their necks and smite off all fingertips” (Surah 8:12 in the Koran). The July 28 fatwa against terrorism was issued by the Fiqh Council of North America, described in a State Department news release as a body of 18 Muslim scholars who have been trained in Islamic jurisprudence and are deemed qualified to interpret Islamic law as it is revealed in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
