Fatwa issued against attacks on religious places

A top Muslim seminary in India has issued a fatwa or religious decree against attacks on religious places, days after deadly bombings in a Hindu holy city killed 23 people.
An Islamic outfit, Lashkar-e-Kahar, took responsibility for the March 7 bombings at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh state. Police dismissed the claim as a smokescreen.
The Darul-Ifta Firangi Mahal seminary in northern Uttar Pradesh issued its edict on Monday, saying an attack on religious sites was one of the biggest crimes against humanity.
Its chief Maulana Khalid Rashid said Islam is a peace-loving religion. "The Quran is very clear that protection should be given to religious places of other communities. If temples and shrines are attacked in the name of religion, it is anti-Islamic," Rashid said. "The Quran says that killing of an innocent person is equivalent to the killing of entire humanity," the Maulana said in the state capital Lucknow.