KARACHI, May 26: Chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain has held religious scholars responsible for pushing the Ummah into trouble by, as he put it, 'their wrong interpretation of religious teachings.'

He was addressing the party's elders' wing at Nine Zero here on Wednesday. Mr Hussain claimed that the clerics lacked understanding of the real spirit of Islam which, he alleged, was used by vested interests.

He particularly disagreed to the clerics' interpretation of 'jihad' which, according to him, actually meant struggle in all spheres of life, and not just by picking up sword.

He explained that life in the past was difficult and even obtainingwater or travelling from one place to the other were very troublesome for which people had to struggle and toil in adverse conditions.

However, he added, with the passage of time, knowledge became widespread and technology made advances which made life easier. The MQM chief argued that helping others in adverse conditions was also jihad.

In this context, he cited the example of providing water to people of Thar when they were in dire need of the commodity. "The real jihad is to overwhelm personal desires," he declared.

Mr Hussain stressed the need for waging struggle through peaceful means, i.e. without taking up arms. "Killing of unarmed civilians is not jihad, rather, its is a negation of Islamic teachings, in fact," he added.

Mr Hussain said that what the religious parties had done in May 12 by-elections was certainly not jihad. He accused them of misleading innocent people for achieving their ulterior motives.

In this context, he cited the supreme sacrifice by Hazrat Imam Hussain who had not accepted the over lordship of Yazeed, although both the sides belonged to the same faith.

The MQM chief lashed out at religious parties' leaders for instigating people to wage an armed jihad in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Palestine and Tora Bora while keeping themselves away from the jihad.

Hitting hard at the parties for attacking the US in present days, he recalled that in the past they had waged an armed campaign in Afghanistan against the Soviet occupation "only to earn dollars".

He alleged that religious parties were fomenting sectarian unrest and dissension in masses. He claimed that people had lost faith in the religious parties which, as he put it, were exploiting Islam and not addressing to the problems being faced by people.

On the contrary, he added, the MQM was addressing their problems and electing people from the middle class. Congratulating his workers on the victory of MQM candidates in by-polls, Mr Hussain told them that an official announcement in this regard was merely a formality.