Jamiyyathul Salaf has stated that the organisation has always always been against extremist and hard-line religious ideologies.
Vice President of the organisation, Sheikh Hassan Moosa Fikry, made the statement during a press conference on Friday held to address the "attempts to frame" the organisation, referring to the public allegations against Salaf, following the release of the investigative report on former lawmaker, Dr. Afrasheem Ali's murder.
Fikry stated the organisation has never endorsed extremist and hard-line religious ideologies but counselled such individuals instead.
We do not have any connections to people travelling abroad to war zones, nor have we ever endorsed such actions.Vice President of Jamiyyathul Salaf Sheikh Hassan Moosa Fikry
Fikry further stated that the organisation has no connections to the conflict in the Middle-East and that the organisation has always opposed such ideologies. He added that this can be confirmed by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and that these allegations are efforts to create religious conflict within the country.
While declaring that attempts are being made to defame Salaf by connecting the organisation to the murder of Dr. Afrasheem Ali, Sheikh Ahmed Saleem stated that the investigative report does not make any direct connections between the organisation and the murder. He further stated that the public statement against Dr.Afrasheem mentioned in the report was purely a scholarly response and that other parties, especially political, had released much harsher responses in comparison.
Additionally, the organisation described Dr. Afrasheem as a hard-working scholar, and claimed that the attack on him was an attack on all religious scholars.
Moreover, Salaf stated that they are unsure about the organisation's future and that no action plans have been made in case of the organisation's dissolution.
The investigative report on the murder of former lawmaker, Dr. Afrasheem Ali, compiled by the Presidential Commission on Murders and Enforced Disappearances, was forwarded to the 19th Parliament Committee on National Security Services for further review. The committee formed a subcommittee that compiled a report, describing Jamiyyathul Salaf as an organisation that endorses terrorism, said Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.
