Egypt's mufti advisor blames extremists for defaming Islam

It is the wrong misperception of religion that has given the enemies of Islam a good chance to defame the image of Muslims worldwide, said Dr Magdy Ashour, academic advisor to the Egyptian mufti, Monday.
Speaking to MENA on the sidelines of the 22nd conference of the Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy that opened here Sunday, Ashour said this gathering is particularly important given the topics on the agenda of the event.
The conference will focus on correcting false conceptions about Islam, atop of which the concept of jihad, Ashour said.
To extremists jihad stands for killing, Ashour said, stressing that it is far from the broader concept identified by Islam about fighting back who fights Muslims. It is fighting and not killing, the advisor noted.
He touched upon rules to jihad that extremists fail to heed.
Extremist groups term as infidels whoever expresses opinions different than theirs, Ashour said.
The conference also tackles the rights of non-Muslims in Muslim countries, Ashour said, stressing that they share the same rights and obligations as Muslims.
The conference will also discuss the right of women to run in elections and take up top posts, including the president, Ashour said, acknowledging that women have proven to be more educated than men in many cases.
He stressed the need to correctly define concepts as stated in religion and not as perceived by non-specialists
Those, he warned, promote false conceptions about Islam, Ashour said, stressing that the Prophet Muhammad is a prophet of mercy.