Archival: Saudi Cleric Muhammad Al-Munajid Issues Fatwa Permitting Hacking into "Jewish Websites"

Following are excerpts from a religious program featuring Saudi cleric Sheik Muhammad Al-Munajid, which was posted on the Internet on January 21, 2011:

Muhammad Al-Munajid: In principle, hacking into websites and sabotaging them is forbidden. This is not allowed because Allah has forbidden spying. You are not allowed to go into other people’s secrets without their permission. In addition, sabotaging these websites constitutes corruption, which is displeasing to Allah. This is aggression, which is displeasing to Allah.

As for hacking and sabotaging Jewish websites – this is a special case that requires a special answer. The people whose property and websites are protected do not include criminal aggressors. These Jews are bombing from land, air, and sea, perpetrating a genocide against our brothers, killing women and children, and destroying homes and mosques with people inside... There is no doubt that they are criminals, corrupters, attackers, and saboteurs. Their websites are targeted in the context of the war against them.

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So spying on their websites and penetrating their communication airwaves is, without a doubt, legitimate in this war. [This hacking] is a type of electronic Jihad, which, together with media Jihad and economic Jihad, is needed by the Muslims, along with military Jihad.

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