But you just know there’s a catch, and as usual it comes down to the remarkably flexible definition of “terrorism,” and the need to shift the blame: Muslims commit themselves to fight terrorism.

Agra, June 14 (IANS) Representatives of different Muslim sects committed themselves to fight terrorism and promote peace and harmony at a conference here saturday evening.

Organised by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Agra, the conference was presided over by Maulana Syed Arshad Madni, president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. S.A. Qazmi, former advocate general of Uttar Pradesh, was the chief speaker. Other prominent speakers included Maulana Shaukat Ali Bastvi, Qazi Syed M. Sabir, Maulana Shamshad Ahmed, Raj Babbar, Ramji Lal Suman and S.P. Singh Baghael.

Maulana Arshad Madni said: ‘It should be made clear that ordinary Muslims, madrassas or ulemas had nothing to do with terrorism. The home minister (Shivraj Patil) himself has said this so many times. Yet, unfortunately, after every bomb blast Muslims are targeted which is a clear reflection of prejudices.’

The conference adopted several resolutions on the community’s stand on terrorism. It unanimously resolved that acts of terrorism were dastardly and anti-social and that the government should take appropriate measures to stop them.

It demanded that innocent Muslims who had been wrongly implicated and against whom no charges had been fixed in various cases of terrorism should be freed immediately.