London attack: Over 130 imams refuse to perform Islamic burials for attackers

LONDON, Jun 06: After three attackers responsible for Saturday night’s London Bridge attack met their fate — being shot dead by police — they will not receive an Islamic funeral prayer as declared by a group of 130 imams and religious leaders. The leaders said they would not perform the rituals that every Muslim gets after he passes away.
The group put out a statement on social media saying, “In light of other such ethical principles which are quintessential to Islam, we will not perform the traditional Islamic funeral prayer over the perpetrators and we also urge fellow imams and religious authorities to withdraw such a privilege.”
“This is because such indefensible actions are completely at odds with the lofty teachings of Islam,” added the statement.
The statement also reads: “We are deeply hurt that a spate of terror attacks have been committed in our country once more by murderers who seek to gain religious legitimacy for their actions. We seek to clarify that their reprehensible actions have neither legitimacy nor our sympathy.”
The move is considered an unprecedented response from Muslim faith leaders from diverse backgrounds.
The letter comes a day after the Muslim Council of Britain described the incident as an affront to Islam. Soon after the incident, Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said, “I am appalled and angered by the terrorist attacks at London Bridge and Borough Market, in my home city.”
Prime Minister Theresa May had earlier announced that her government is “leading international efforts to take on and defeat the ideology of Islamist extremism around the world.”
Late Saturday evening, three terrorists drove a van into a crowd on London Bridge and then went on a stabbing spree, brutally assaulting pedestrians killing at least seven people and leaving over 47 wounded. Agencies