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April 1, 2011 Special Dispatch No. 3722

Salafi Jihadist Clerics Disagree on Issue of NATO Forces in Libya

April 1, 2011
Libya | Special Dispatch No. 3722

On March 28, 2011, the Salafi-jidahist website Al-Tawhid published two conflicting fatwas in response to a question about whether it is permissible to obtain aid from NATO forces to oust the regime of Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi in Libya. Two senior jurisprudents, Sheikh Abu Muslim Al-Jazairi and Sheikh Abu Mundhir Al-Shinqiti, both members of the website's Shari'a Council, agree that Muslims are forbidden from forming alliances with infidels. However, while Al-Jazairi considers the ban to be absolute and unbending, Al-Shinqiti believes that in cases of extreme necessity - such as the "imminent destruction" the Libyan people are facing at the hands of the Al-Qadhafi regime - it is permissible to obtain help even from an enemy and to return to fighting this enemy once the danger has passed.

Accusing the Libyan National Interim Council of "serving the enemy's interests," Al-Jazairi calls upon it to step down and disclose the promises it had given "the enemies." He calls on the Libyan people to instate shari'a law in the country, saying that this is the only thing that will guarantee them sovereignty and freedom in their land. He also calls upon the Libyan revolutionary youth to put their faith in Allah, establish a new council, and demand that the NATO forces withdraw from the fight immediately. He also urges them to "unite under the flag of monotheism" and fulfill their duty to their faith and to the Muslim ummah. ...

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