New Delhi: Islamic seminary of Barelvi sect issued a ‘fatwa’ (edict) against Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed declaring him anti-Islamic. The ‘fatwa’ was issued against the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief by Mufti Mohammed Saleem Barelvi, an Islamic seminary in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. It dubbed Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who carries a USD 10 million bounty on his head, as “outcast” from Islam and declared considering him a Muslim as “illegal”. A ‘fatwa’ is a legal declaration in Islam which is given by a ‘mufti’, a Muslim scholar of recognised authority, who is an interpreter or presenter of Islamic law. The ‘fatwa’ was issued by Manzar-e-Islam Saudagaran, an institution associated with Dargah Ala Hazrat, in a reply to a question asked by Mohd Moinuddin of Jaipur. It said Saeed has no connection with Islam. Moinuddin mentioned in his question that Saeed considered those writing against Allah and Prophet Mohammad as Muslims. He asked whether such a person should be considered as Muslim. In his ‘fatwa’, Mufti Saleem said that having any type of connection with people working against the dignity of Allah and the Prophet was illegal and ‘haraam’ (an act that is forbidden by Allah). It said since Saeed was having contacts with such people, he has been declared as an outcast from Islam. It said that considering him as Muslim and listening to his words was also illegal and prohibited. According to the ‘fatwa’, Saeed holds a terrorist ideology and his acts has brought dishonor to Islam and Muslims across the world. Therefore, it was compulsory for every Muslim not to follow him. Addressing a rally in Karachi, Saeed claimed that Kashmiris had announced before the partition that they wanted to remain with Pakistan, but after the partition, India sent Army to Jammu and Kashmir. “Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah ordered his commander-in-chief to respond by sending troops but he refused. Now, I ask Gen Raheel Sharif to send troops in (Jammu and) Kashmir as Quaid-e-Azam’s order is pending,” Saeed said.