Spanish Muslims issue ‘fatwa’ against Osama Bin Laden

MADRID: Spain’s leading Islamic body has issued a religious order declaring Osama Bin Laden to have forsaken Islam by backing attacks such as the Madrid train bombings a year ago.

The Islamic Commission of Spain timed its ‘fatwa’ for Friday to coincide with the first anniversary of the last year’s attacks, which killed 191 people and were claimed in the name of Al Qaeda in Europe.

The commission’s secretary general Mansur Escudero said the fatwa had moral, rather than legal weight and would serve as a guide for Muslims.

“We declare that Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda organisation, responsible for the horrendous crimes against innocent people who were despicably murdered in the March 11 terrorist attack in Madrid, are outside the parameters of Islam,” the commission said.

The commission said the holy Quran barred Muslims from committing crimes against innocent people. The commission is the top Islamic body in Spain. Its leaders are elected by an assembly and represent the Muslim community in talks with the Spanish government. Most of the 42 suspects held in connection with the investigation are of Moroccan origin. “The terrorist acts of Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda organisation, which result in the death of civilians, such as women and children are totally prohibited and are the object of strong condemnation within Islam,” it said in a statement citing extensively from religious texts.

The commission issued its fatwa as Spaniards paid tribute to the passengers killed on four Madrid commuter trains a year ago.

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