Religious scholars: “Daesh” exceeded God’s limits and burning alive of pilot was un-Islamic

Muslim religious scholars in Algeria widely condemned the burning to death of a Jordanian pilot by “Daesh” terrorist group , saying such a form of killing was considered despicable by Islam, no matter the context.

“Daesh” extremists released a video on Tuesday appearing to show captured Jordanian pilot Mouath Al-Kasaesbeh being burnt alive in a cage.

Former Algerian religious affairs and endowments minister Ahmed Beradouane asserted that: “Burning is an abominable crime rejected by Islamic law regardless of its causes.”

“It is rejected whether it falls on an individual or a group or a people. Only God Almighty tortures by fire,” he added.

Such a heinous killing “utterly disregards the rights of prisoners Islam has decreed, as well as the human moral standards for war and treatment of prisoners.”

“The horrific act of burning a man alive and filming the killing would further damage the “Daesh” terror group, an Al-Qaeda offshoot which controls wide territory in Syria and Iraq, and is also known as ISIL or ISIS.

“This weakens the already low standing of this terrorist organization because we look at Islam as a religion of peace, mercy and tolerance. Even in the heat of battle, a prisoner of war is given good treatment,” said the secretary general of the religious scholars of the Sahel, Youcef Mechria.

“Islam prohibits the taking of an innocent life,” said for his part Doctor Mohamed Hemal from Oran university in a statement, adding that by burning the jordanian pilot to death, the “Daesh” extremists violated Islam’s prohibition on the immolation or mutilation of bodies, even during wartime.

He also stressed that the “Daesh” extremists have nothing to do with Islam, adding that burning to death as legal punishment, however, is unheard of in the contemporary Middle East, and such a horrendous action is prohibited by Islam, citing what he said was a saying by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that reserves for God Almighty alone the right to punish by fire in the after-life.