Pakistan Religious Leaders Say Suicide Attacks Un-Islamic

A Pakistani Christian woman mourn the death of relative who was killed in suicide bomb attack in All Saints church in Peshawar on September 24, 2013.

Some 200 religious scholars have issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against suicide attacks.

The decree, issued at a conference in the eastern city of Lahore on May 17, described such attacks as haram (forbidden) under Shari'a law.

It also said the philosophy behind the Islamic State group, Tehreek-e-Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other extremist groups was un-Islamic and based on ignorance.

According to the decree, protecting non-Muslims is mandatory for an Islamic state.

It also said those who oppose polio immunization campaigns are "misguided people" and those who kill female health workers as "the worst criminals."

Militants frequently target medical workers involved in dispensing polio vaccinations in Pakistan, contributing to an increase in polio cases in the country.

Attacks on Pakistan's religious minority groups have also been increasing in recent years.

With reporting by dawn.com