Since the September 11th attacks against the U.S. and terrorist attacks around the globe, many have consistently asked “Where are the moderate Muslims?” and “Why do they not speak out?” While terrorists have justified their acts through the misinterpretation of Islamic teachings these events have contributed to a greater gap between the west and Islam. Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, one of Pakistan’s most prominent religious authorities with a global following, recently issued a 600 page religious ruling (fatwa) condemning the perpetrators and their ideology of radicalism. His work is considered to be one of the most comprehensive and forceful condemnations of terrorism to date by any Muslim religious leader.

Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri discussed his fatwa against Al-Qaida, Taliban, and other radical organizations and how he and his organizations have been working toward reducing the spread of extremism. He has explicitly declared terrorism as an act of disbelief (kufr) in Islam, and his peacebuilding activities are bringing youth away from radical ideology.

As a trained jurist, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul- Qadri has authored around 1,000 books out of which more than 450 have been published. As an unrivaled orator and speaker, he has delivered over 6,000 lectures and has been teaching Islamic subjects such as jurisprudence, theology, sufism, Islamic philosophy, law, Islamic politics, hadith, seerah, and many other traditional sciences.

Speakers

• Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
  Legal Scholar, Founding Leader, Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International
• Qamar-ul Huda, Opening Remarks, Moderator
  U.S. Institute of Peace
  Editor of Crescent and Dove: Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam