Jamil Khir: Understand actual concept of jihad, get information from the authorities

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PUTRAJAYA: The people must understand the actual concept of jihad (struggle in good deed permitted by God) and take into account the views of the authorities before deciding to join a war.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said they should get the views of the authorities especially the Mufti and Foreign Ministry.

“In this way, they can get a clearer picture of a situation before deciding to back those at war,” he told reporters when commenting on the involvements of Malaysians in the war in Syria.

Earlier, he attended a ceremony to hand over letters of appointment to the Federal Territory Mufti and the members of the Islamic Law Consultation Committee for 2013-2016 here, yesterday.

Jamil Khir said the fighters in Syria themselves did not hope the people of this country to help by joining the war but they were more in need of humanitarian aid such as food, clothes and medicine.

Meanwhile, the new Federal Territory Mufti Dr Zulkifli Mohamad, who replaced Datuk Wan Zahidi Wan Teh, said humanitarian missions were better than jihad by joining the fight, more so when the parties in the right could not be ascertained arbitrarily.

He said books written by Islamic scholars which touched on jihad including by Yusuf al-Qaradawi should also be scrutinised to better understand the concept of jihad.

Commenting on the Terengganu Fatwa Committee’s decision that the statement of former political and social activist Kassim Ahmad at a seminar in February was atheism and apostatic thinking, Jamil Khir said it was a decision at state level. — Bernama