Qatari based council: ‘Armed Jihad against Israel an obligation’
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUSM) has released a sweeping fatwa calling for waging “armed Jihad” against Israel and religiously banning normalization of ties.
This pronouncement, which appeared on the organization's official website and the official X/Twitter account of its president, Sheikh Ali Al-Qaradaghi, represents a striking theological stance promoted by an international Islamist organization during the current Gaza conflict, News.Az reports citing The Jerusalem Post.
Headquartered in Doha with additional presence in Istanbul and claiming to represent tens of thousands of religious scholars from across the globe, the IUSM was established in 2004 by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi, a notorious and revered cleric who led the Muslim Brotherhood axis and was made known for his endorsement and promotion of Hamas’s suicide bombings against Israeli civilians.
Earlier this week, the Union’s “Ijtihad and Fatwa Committee” crafted the edict addressing what they termed "the ongoing aggression against Gaza." The declaration makes several extensive demands, including appeals for a thorough besieging of Israel "by land, sea, and air" while encouraging "prompt military intervention by Islamic countries" to bolster Palestinian armed struggle across multiple dimensions – military campaigns, economic areas, and the diplomatic arena.
The religious scholars cited Hamas’s casualty statistics in Gaza, which are claimed to exceed 50,000, describing the situation as "methodical genocide conducted with explicit backing from the United States, amidst Arab quietude and passivity from nations across the Islamic world."
On the economic front, the council strengthened previous positions endorsing boycotts of "enterprises that support the Zionist entity," and declaring that affluent Muslims must "participate in jihad through financial means and equip militants."
The theological directive elaborates on what it considers duties for Muslims at varying levels of proximity to the conflict. Strikingly, the fatwa deems “the enemy”, meaning Israel, a Kafir, or infidel, in stark contrast to some other traditional views of Islam towards Judaism as part of the “People of the Book.”
The council's stance extends to commercial measures as well, proclaiming it religiously forbidden to furnish Israel with "petroleum, natural gas, and all commodities that assist in their military campaign," including "nourishment and beverages while Gaza's population faces starvation."
Among the more politically ambitious elements of the ruling is a call for Arab and Islamic countries to "form a consolidated military coalition to safeguard Islamic territories," which the council characterizes as "an imperative obligation that permits no postponement."
The fatwa also deals with geopolitical aspects, calling on nations maintaining diplomatic connections with Israel to "reassess these agreements and exert pressure accordingly,” and explicitly forbidding "normalization with the Zionist occupying entity in any form.”
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