Indian Muslims endorse anti-terrorism edict

Thousands of Indian Muslims have united to endorse a religious edict condemning terrorism as un-Islamic, a scholar said Monday.
The two-day weekend meeting in the southern city of Hyderabad drew around 6,000 Muslim clerics and scholars, and came after India was hit by a wave of bombings by suspected Islamist militants across the Hindu-majority nation.
Indian Muslim leaders have since complained that members of their community were being subjected to harassment by police.
The endorsed Fatwa, or ruling, holds that the term jihad -- 'holy war' -- cannot be applied to terrorist acts.
"Jihad is basically a constructive phenomenon. Terrorism is based on destruction alone. Jihad is permitted only for restoring peace and is a fundamental right of a human being," the edict reads.