LUCKNOW, India: Senior vice chairman All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Dr Kalbe Sadiq while expressing concern over rising wave of terrorism said that people in the garb of Al-Qaeda could not be called followers of Islam.

Dr Sadiq said a “Muslim could not be a criminal and vice versa”. He said there was also no place for reactionary forces in Islam and said Muslims had no “religious right” to kill non-believers.

Pointing out that the Muslims had drifted away from chosen path Dr Sadiq said that in a highly “rational religion” of Islam the community had become “emotional commodity”.

Delivering a three-day lecture on “Islam versus Muslims” in Lucknow, Dr Sadiq said instead of drawing Islam from its roots in Medina, Najaf and Karbala, the community had diverted its attention to local Shia and Sunni seminaries.

Tracing the history of violence in Islam, Dr Sadiq said Kharjites (outcaste from Islam) were active during the period of Prophet Mohammad (SW) and they were active now also in the garb of terror outfits.

He added that the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (SW) and Imam Ali (AS) were for peace and co-existence but Muslims, both Shias and Sunnis had forgotten them and had been fighting with each other.