LAHORE, Oct 11: At least 50 religious scholars associated with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) issued here on Thursday a joint fatwa (religious edict) declaring the attack on Malala Yousafzai as un-Islamic and appealed to people to observe Friday as a ‘day of condemnation’.

It also demanded that the government should review its “pro-US” policies to eliminate real causes of terrorism in the country because the “US is anti-Islam and an invader”.

The edict said Islam did not prohibit women from getting education and the attackers “transgressed the Islamic Hudood (principles), according to a press release issued by the SIC which comprises 20 groups of the Barelvi school of thought.

It termed the interpretation of Islam by the Taliban repugnant to the teachings of the religion. “Islam not only makes it obligatory on each and every faithful to seek education but also strictly forbids taking the life of an innocent person.”

Former religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi endorsed the decree and said it had come at the right time.

“Islam holds the killing of one innocent person as killing the entire humanity. It also forbids executing a woman who has even renounced her religion, while men are punished with death for the same offence.”

The edict said that Jihad was a sacred obligation but its real spirit needed to be understood clearly since attacking innocent women and children was not Jihad.

It described those accepting responsibility of every terror act as ‘agents of Washington’ tasked to defame Islam and legitimise the tag of terrorists on Muslims, besides undermining Pakistan.

“Getting rid of the US and Taliban is equally necessary for establishing enduring peace in the country,” the fatwa said, appealing to “genuine” scholars and the nation to get united for confronting conspiracies of enemies against Islam and Pakistan.