By Dominic Casciani BBC News home affairs correspondent
Dr Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri Dr Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri says he feels it is his duty to "save" young Muslims from extremism
A Muslim group has opened what it calls the UK's first summer camp against terrorism.
The three-day event in Coventry is expected to see more than 1,000 young Muslims at sessions teaching religious arguments to use against extremists.
The event has been organised by the Minhaj ul-Quran to promote a fatwa, or religious ruling, against terrorism by its leader Dr Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri.
Dr Qadri launched the fatwa in London in March.
'Spiritual war'
Opening the summer camp, Dr Qadri told the audience - predominantly made up of British Muslims - to reject al-Qaeda and its "cancer" that was spreading through their faith.
He told them to embrace being British and do all that they could to build a safe and secure society by using sound theological arguments to confront any extremists that they meet.
The populist Pakistani cleric's 600-page theological study is billed by his followers as the most comprehensive and clear denunciation of the arguments deployed by jihadists to justify violence including suicide bombings and the targeting of civilians.
The summer camp at Warwick University will concentrate on this document and will include debates and talks.
Participants are being asked to join "a spiritual war" against al-Qaeda's recruiters.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
I feel it is my duty to save the younger generation from radicalisation and wave of terroristic recruitment in the West”
End Quote Dr Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri
Minhaj ul-Quran, the international organisation set up by the cleric, argues that many traditional Muslim organisations have been too timid in taking on jihadist ideology, unintentionally leaving youngsters bewildered and susceptible to brainwashing.
The organisation, which is expanding in the UK, argues that there has to be a more public stand against extremism, underpinned by a sound understanding of what Islam says about violence.
'Radicalisation'
Speaking ahead of the event's launch, the cleric said: "I have announced an intellectual and spiritual war against extremism and terrorism. I believe this is the time for moderate Islamic scholars who believe in peace to stand up."
"I feel it is my duty to save the younger generation from radicalisation and wave of terroristic recruitment in the West."
Dr Qadri, now based in Canada, is not the first preacher to speak out against terrorism - but his followers hope his fatwa will become the most influential document in circulation.
The UK's largest umbrella body, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), has repeatedly called together scholars and preachers to denounce extremism.
But critics say that some of the MCB's leaders have no moral authority to preach to youngsters because they have been equivocal about violence in the Middle East.
This will probably do more to combat extremism then all the whining and fear mongering I see in the US.
so that's what's going on (I live on the campus they're using)
there's muslims from all over europe here (and presumably a discrete number of secret service)
biggest problem so far has been the toilets aren't designed for pre prayer abulations - washing feet in sink, and ass with bottle of water in the cubicle means a very wet, messy floor.
"Aid, trade, green technology and peace." - Hans Rosling.
"Welcome to SDN, where we can't see the forest because walking into trees repeatedly feels good, bro." - Mr Coffee
so that's what's going on (I live on the campus they're using)
there's muslims from all over europe here (and presumably a discrete number of secret service)
biggest problem so far has been the toilets aren't designed for pre prayer abulations - washing feet in sink, and ass with bottle of water in the cubicle means a very wet, messy floor.
Why don't they use dampened paper towels? Or wet wipes?
so that's what's going on (I live on the campus they're using)
there's muslims from all over europe here (and presumably a discrete number of secret service)
biggest problem so far has been the toilets aren't designed for pre prayer abulations - washing feet in sink, and ass with bottle of water in the cubicle means a very wet, messy floor.
Eww. Germs, everywhere.
Good on the Muslims, though; I doubt they'll accomplish much, but it's good to see them at least trying.
Kanastrous wrote:Uh...washing their asses? Really? Didn't think that was part of the usual set of ritual ablutions...
IIRC their bodies have to be clean prior to prayer. Ritual purity and all. That means the ass. Much like the jews I imagine they have abbreviated sets of rituals for when they are traveling and what not.
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I would remind the board that toilet paper is not used everywhere.
"Aid, trade, green technology and peace." - Hans Rosling.
"Welcome to SDN, where we can't see the forest because walking into trees repeatedly feels good, bro." - Mr Coffee
madd0ct0r wrote:I would remind the board that toilet paper is not used everywhere.
Yeah; IIRC, (Middle-Eastern?) Muslims use brushes and buckets. I remember reading on another forum that a sure-fire way to piss one off is to make their bucket disappear (though, personally, I'd never touch one, because eww, germs).
Reminds me of a bit of trivia regarding Ruhollah Khomenei - apparently he was so eager to display his contempt for his French hosts (who took him in after IIRC pretty much no one else would, after he was expelled from Iran) that one of the first things he insisted upon was having the western-style toilet removed from his quarters and replaced with an Iranian-style squat toilet.
Fuck, you infidels! I don't care if you granted me asylum; I won't even deign to empty my bowels French-style!
Perhaps he was just inflexible in his bathroom habits but the articles wherein I read about it suggested that cultural contempt had something to do with it, too.
I find myself endlessly fascinated by your career - Stark, in a fit of Nerd-Validation, November 3, 2011
There's a good chance his eminence would have probably tried to stand on the western style toliet's seat and broken his neck (hear anecdotal accounts of that happening in Asia every now and then). Also, never underestimate how stubborn old people can be about certain things.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
once you're used to water, you can't help but get the idea that paper is doing more smearing then cleaning.
"Aid, trade, green technology and peace." - Hans Rosling.
"Welcome to SDN, where we can't see the forest because walking into trees repeatedly feels good, bro." - Mr Coffee
Kanastrous wrote:Reminds me of a bit of trivia regarding Ruhollah Khomenei - apparently he was so eager to display his contempt for his French hosts (who took him in after IIRC pretty much no one else would, after he was expelled from Iran) that one of the first things he insisted upon was having the western-style toilet removed from his quarters and replaced with an Iranian-style squat toilet.
Fuck, you infidels! I don't care if you granted me asylum; I won't even deign to empty my bowels French-style!
Perhaps he was just inflexible in his bathroom habits but the articles wherein I read about it suggested that cultural contempt had something to do with it, too.
You're aware that a French-style toilet is a squatting toilet?
I used the phrase 'western-style.' The article I read indicated that the toilet in question was the sit-on-it-to-do-yer-business-kind. Which I thought would have been obvious, based upon the fact that his Ayatollahness had it replaced. And since that was the toilet he found when he arrived in his new quarters in France, it makes perfect sense to have also used the phrase 'emptying one's bowels French-style.'
But thank you for the valuable bit of Franco-toilet-related trivia.
I find myself endlessly fascinated by your career - Stark, in a fit of Nerd-Validation, November 3, 2011
It just seems to undermine your entire premise: it could be construed as saying 'I don't want an English or German-style toilet, I want a French-style toilet." It doesn't have any of the connotations of being contemptuous towards the French that you implied in your post.
Oh, for fuck's sake, he was in France. And not being an expert on international toilet standards, I mistakenly described the western-style toilet located in France as a device for emptying one's bowels French-style.
I don't know what degree of pedantic jackassery motivates you, but I think the meaning of the text was clear. Let it fucking go.
I find myself endlessly fascinated by your career - Stark, in a fit of Nerd-Validation, November 3, 2011
