Ulema, Religious Scholars push Taliban for peace Talks, denounce ongoing war

by Lailuma Noori

As illegal and anti-Islamic war is going on in Afghanistan, the ‘International Conference of Muslim Scholars on Peace and Stability in Afghanistan’ was attended by nearly 100 religious Ulema and scholars from Afghanistan and 37 Islamic countries of the world.

The conference was hosted by Saudi Arabia in collaboration of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), concluded in the holy city of Makkah on Wednesday with a declaration to condemn violence in Afghanistan.

Addressing the opening session in the conference, head of Afghanistan ulema council QayamuddinKashaf said: “Taliban should be invited to the Two Holy Mosques for peace talks.”

“The visions of all religious scholars were good and positive. They all consider the ongoing war in Afghanistan as unacceptable, which was our anticipation from them,” Kashaf said in a sideline of the conference.

Mawlawi Kashaf further said that ulema and Muslim scholars were obliged to declare their position against the ongoing bloodshed, extremism, explosions and suicide bombings, adding that the government has authorized to Ulema and Muslim scholars for mediation in peace talks.

Meanwhile, the government of Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also condemned the ongoing illegal war in Afghanistan. In his opening speech, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen called on the Afghan government and “all components of Afghan society” to respond to work toward peace in the country.

“Our conference today is a reflection of the gravity of the strife and division in Afghanistan that have denied Afghan people the grace of security and stability, hindered development, frustrated society and killed hope,” he said. “Worse still, killing the innocent in the name of Islam has aggravated the situation.”

He said that this conference comes at a critical time in Afghanistan’s history.
Also present at the conference, the Saudi minister of Islamic affairs, Sheikh Abdullatif bin Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh said the prosperity of Afghanistan leaders and its Ulema and all religious scholars of the Islamic world was to address the Afghans’ problems and their unity.

In the conference, the Afghan delegation enumerated its demands as follows:
– The conference should ask both sides of the ongoing conflict to maintain truce and kick off direct talks.
– A delegation of Muslim ulamas from this conference should be appointed to hold direct talks with the Taliban group.
– We are asking the OIC to hold the organization’s summit for consolidation of peace and stability in Afghanistan.
– We are asking the government and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque King Salman to invite the Taliban group for peace talks to Haramain al Sharifain.
– We are asking the OIC to hold such conference in Kabul.
– We want the religious ulamas and OIC to declare their clear stance related to the ongoing war in Afghanistan.
– We as ulamas of the Islamic world are responsible to declare our clear position against explosion, suicide attacks and extremism.

It is the first time that OIC has held an international conference of ulamas from Islamic world countries on Afghanistan and ongoing illegal war in the country.