The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM).
On November 16, 2012, the "Global Jihad" website (aljahad.com/vb, hosted in Berlin on servers that reports itself as belonging to Your-Server.de) posted a fatwa by the Saudi mujahid sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Fahd mandating jihad against the Jews. Al-Fahd has been incarcerated in Saudi Arabia since 2003 for praising the Riyadh bombings in May of that year. In 2004, the Saudi media reported that he had recanted his jihadi ideology, but subsequently he published a communiqué stating that he had been forced to do this and that he did not regret anything he had done before his arrest.[1]
In response to the question whether it is permissible to kill Jews and harm their interests everywhere, even outside Palestine, and whether this counts as jihad, the sheikh replied that the Jews are the leaders of the infidels and the greatest enemies of Islam and the Muslims in the present age. Therefore, jihad against Jews everywhere is "one of the most important duties and greatest virtues," and any guarantees of protection granted them by tyrannical and infidel governments are meaningless, especially when the Jews are attacking Muslims as they please. Al-Fahd stressed that, when jihad against Jews outside of Palestine is more harmful than beneficial, Islam does not permit it; however, the only ones who can determine whether this is the case are the mujahideen, not "those who shirk jihad."
The following are excerpts from the question and fatwa:
Question: "What is the ruling regarding the struggle against the Jews and the fight against them outside the borders of Palestine, [namely] targeting and attacking their interests and their strongholds in all countries of the world? Does this count as jihad? Do they [enjoy] a contract of protection in countries where they do not fight [the Muslims], and does the Prophet's pronouncement that 'anyone who kills a mu'ahid [i.e., person who was granted protection] will not smell the fragrance of Paradise' apply to them? And if we determine that they do not [have the status of] mu'ahid, but that killing them entails [harmful consequences], is it still permitted to fight them?"
Answer: "There is no doubt that the greatest enemies of Islam and the Muslims in the present age are the Jews. Had we wanted to list their crimes against Islam and the Muslims in the later periods [of Muslim history], the list would have been very long. They have killed throngs of Muslims, and in Gaza alone they have killed thousands... They have plundered the Muslims' treasures, placed tyrants over them, and have done the Muslim nation [more harm] than any [other] enemy has done, in the past or present.
"[Now] we see them firing thousands of rockets and [dropping] tons of explosives on the heads of the Muslims in Gaza, without distinguishing [men from] women, children and the elderly – for why should they make such a distinction, when they regard the Muslims as insects that the world must be saved from?
"Therefore, [waging] jihad against the cursed Jews, and pursuing and fighting them wherever they are found, is one of the most important duties and greatest virtues – for they have corrupted countries, killed many Muslims and fought the Muslims everywhere. They are undoubtedly the leaders of the infidels in this age, and nobody can compete with them [for this title]. Allah said: "Fight the leaders of disbelief, for indeed, no oaths are [sacred] to them. [Koran 9:12]." If I had ten arrows, I would have shot all of them at [the Jews], not at anyone else. By Allah, had I been able to carry out a martyrdom attack against them, I would not have hesitated for a moment. And if Allah allowed just one thousand martyrdom-seekers – out of one billion Muslims – to attack their strongholds and interests everywhere, [the Muslims] would have defeated them and rendered them submissive and humiliated...
"As for contracts [of protection]: by Allah, we have no contracts with them. On the contrary, they are harbiyyoun (infidels who must be fought), no matter where they are, even if they cling to the curtains of the Ka'ba. Any contract the governments have made with the Jews is illegal according to the shari'a, for it is based on heretical U.N. conventions and was made by people who are not motivated by Allah's will but only by a desire to keep their seats...
"As for the question of harm versus benefit, it is true that when [fighting the Jews outside Palestine] causes more harm than good, then the shari'a does not permit it. But I want to make two points. First, in this context, 'harm' and 'benefit' mean real harm and benefit, as defined by the shari'a, not imaginary [harm and benefit]. Second, the first ones who can weigh the harm and benefit in jihad are the mujahideen [themselves], not those who shirk jihad and do not know how to hold a rifle."
Endnote:
[1] http://majdah.maktoob.com/vb/majdah4627.
