WASHINGTON, June 28: The radical seminary which has held Islamabad hostage for the past several months is no more recognised by the board that oversees madaris in Pakistan, says Qari Mohammed Hanif Jalandhry.

Qari Jalandhry is a member of a delegation of ulema visiting Washington this week to brief US lawmakers, officials, academics and other members of the American society on the state of religious schools in Pakistan.

“While we sympathise with several of their demands, we strongly disagree with their method of achieving those objectives. Islam does not condone coercive measures,” said Qari Jalandhry, a member of the central council of Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris Deenia.

The activities of the radical seminaries of Lal Masjid, Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Faridia, in Islamabad, came up at almost every discussion the delegation attended in Washington and also during their visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

Other issues that US lawmakers showed keen interest in included the concept of jihad in Islam, particularly the difference between jihad and terrorism, suicide attacks, and the Taliban movement in Afghanistan.

“It is wrong to blame a nation or a religion for the crimes committed by a few individuals,” said Maulana Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman, president of Tanzeemul Madaris.