Muslim clerics and civil society members on Tuesday denounced attempts to associate Islam with sexual offences, asserting that such acts are fundamentally incompatible with Islamic values and jurisprudence.
The views were expressed at a media briefing convened by the Jagruk Muslim Manch in the state capital.
The speakers condemned what they described as misinformation across mainstream and digital platforms, warning that such narratives risk deepening communal rifts and misrepresenting religious tenets.
Naib Shahar Qazi Ali Qadar Hussaini asserted that those who engage in such brutal acts stand ousted from the essence of Islam by virtue of their own behaviour.
“Perpetrators of rape are automatically estranged from the faith — no formal expulsion is needed,” Hussaini said. “Islamic doctrine categorically denounces rape and prescribes rigorous penalties. There exists no doctrinal legitimacy for such transgressions.”
Allama Razi-ul-Hasan Haidari, Imam of the Shia mosque in Fatehgarh, said terms like “love jihad” and associating sexual violence with Islam serve as tools of communal provocation.
“Such rhetoric exploits religion to fuel discord. A Muslim who commits such a crime is not a representative of Islam, but a defier of Shariah,” Haidari said. He urged that issues of this gravity be viewed through the prism of humanity, not sectarian bias.
Munawwar Ali Khan, state chief of the Muslim Mahasabha, stated, “Historical precedent shows that Islam has never endorsed individuals engaged in terrorism or sexual crimes.”
Women's rights advocates present at the session highlighted the dangers of normalising or sensationalising offences based on a perpetrator’s faith identity. “To conflate crime with creed is to perpetuate injustice against the survivor,” one activist said. “A violator must be recognised solely by their unlawful act — not their belief system.”
The gathering included prominent figures such as Danish Khan, president of the All India Muslim Teohar Committee; Advocate Abid Mohammad Khan of Insani Biradari; social activist Syed Asrar Ali; Advocates Mohammad Mahir and Amin Raja; and Suleman Khan.
Organisers underscored that the goal of the discussion was neither defensive nor accusatory, but a pursuit of clarity and mutual respect.