Grand Mufti: Normative teachings of Islam are contrary to DAESH ideology

“The phenomenon “Islamic State” (IS) or DAESH managed to engage the attention of many researchers and analysts worldwide. It seems that the actions of the members of this organization aim to convince the society that Islam is a militant religion the followers of which are fanatic warriors who have started to spread their faith and law through military force”, said the Grand Mufti Dr. Mustafa Hadzhi in front of the academic community in the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).

The religious leader delivered academic lecture in BAS on the topic: “Methodological and doctrinal problems in the ideology of “Islamic State” with the kind assistance of the President Acad. Stefan Vodenicharov. The lecture was attended by diplomats, academics, politicians and representatives of different religious denominations in the country.

According to the Grand Mufti it is apparent also that these people manage to achieve their aims through the outrages which they do and in which people maybe find more and more reasons to be distrustful towards Islam and the Muslims. But the question which should be raised here is to what extent the normative teachings of Islam correspond to the ideology of “Islamic State”, as well as whether the Qur’an impels to violation, and does it generate terrorism at all. In order to answer these so important questions we need to analyze with a greater degree of concreteness some methodological and doctrinal problems on which is based the ideology of “Islamic State”.

“In the interpretation of the Holy Qur’an, the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the basic principles of the Islamic law with regard to a certain case is based on a clearly established methodology. This methodology is the following: first - collecting of all normative texts concerning the relevant case; second – distinguishing the general from the specific texts, the unconditional from the conditional, the univocal from the polisemantic, the literal from the allegorical; third – classification of the texts in chronological order and finding their historical circumstances; fourthly – preparation of an opinion by a competent and qualified body based on the combination of all available gathered information”, said the Grand Mufti.

According to him one text or a part of it should not be selectively used as an argument without first to be checked all similar texts in the Qur’an and the hadiths.

“Islamic State” breaks this methodology and selectively draws up and fakes texts which to legitimate its military actions”, further emphasized the religious leader of the Muslims in Bulgaria.

He stressed that the normative teachings of Islam are contrary to the ideology of IS which is methodologically based on selectivity, inconsistency and falsifications. The ideas with which IS is represented, are not based on authentic teachings of Islam but on some medieval concepts influenced by the socio-political characteristics of the time and created in the context of the concept for territorial distribution of the world and inter-faith wars.

“I would like to thank Dr. Mustafa Hadzhi and those who took part in the discussion, to thank the participants, and you should know that the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences expects similar events in the future because through these meetings and discussions we will start to understand each other better”, was adamant the host of the event Acad. Stefan Vodenicharov.