AT-KABUL: A member of senate said Saturday that he demanded the upcoming religious scholars’ meeting in Jakarta to denounce the war in Afghanistan and call it ‘haram’ (religiously forbidden).
A meeting consisting of clerics from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia is expected to be held Friday in Jakarta to seek ways put an end to the long war in Afghanistan.
Asef Seddiqi, deputy head of senate, called the Jakarta meeting “important”, asking the religious scholars to issue a ‘fatwa’ (verdict) against the current war in Afghanistan. He said that calling the fatwa against the Afghan war would empower peace process.
“I hope Afghan clerics positively use this opportunity and tell other clerics that the current war in Afghanistan is not for Islam, but it is a Muslim killing and Afghan killing war,” Seddiqi said.
Indonesian president suggested the meeting in his January visit to Kabul. Twenty clerics from Afghanistan, twenty from Pakistan and an unknown number from Indonesia are scheduled to participate in the meeting.
Akram Khpolwak, a member of the High Peace Council said that prominent clerics are expected to attend the meeting.
Political analysts though are not optimistic that the Jakarta meeting could encourage Pakistan to cooperate with the Afghan government, but they believe that the meeting would put a positive impact on the public opinions.
“This will put an impact on the public opinions, because recruitment by the opposition groups is carried out under the name of Islam. The meeting will inform the youth that Islam is a peace-loving religion,” said Dawood Mayar, a political expert.