On July 2, 2020, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), backed by Qatar and Turkey, and other Islamic organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement calling on Muslims to wage jihad and self-sacrifice in order to foil the plan of the Israeli government to annex parts of the West Bank. The statement, issued following a Zoom conference on this topic, includes many quotes from the Quran and the Hadith calling on Muslims to perform jihad for the sake of Allah by sacrificing their lives, giving of their wealth, holding demonstrations or in any other way.
The statement describes the annexation as a crime against the entire Muslim nation, stressing that acting to liberate Palestine and defend it is a religious duty incumbent upon every Muslim. It commends the "heroic" resistance of the Palestinian terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, adding that supporting them, materially and morally, is a form of jihad for the sake of Allah.
The statement also harshly condemns the Arab regimes that "rush to normalize relations with the Zionist entity" and to criminalize the resistance organizations, hinting at Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and urges the Muslims to take to the streets to protest against the Zionist crime of annexation.
The statement concludes by declaring that the annexation plan will not come to pass "as long as the jihad-fighters keep their finger on the trigger," and as long as "here is a people [in Palestine] who seeks death so as to be given life."
The IUMS was founded in 2004 by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi, who also headed it until November 2018. A major ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi has been sponsored and supported by the Qatari regime for many years. He is known for his extremist views, including support for jihad and suicide operations in Israel. The IUMS, now headed by Dr. Ahmad Al-Raissouni, continues to spread incitement to terror and extremism.[1]
The following are translated excerpts from the IUMS statement:[2]
"Allah said [in Quran 9:41]: 'Go forth, whether light or heavy, and wage jihad with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah'…
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"The Zionist entity has announced its intention to commit a new crime against the [Palestinian] cause that is [dear] to us and to the entire Muslim nation. It is one of the worst crimes, and a blunt act of aggression against our Palestinian people and against all the peoples of our Islamic nation everywhere: a crime of annexing large parts of the West Bank as part of a new, public act of theft that does not consider the victim of injustice and the one whose rights have been denied.
"The clerics signed below wrathfully denounce and condemn this ongoing Zionist crime and stress the following:
"1. The clerics stress that all of Palestine is Islamic land that belongs to all Muslims, and that acting to liberate it, defend it and confront the plots and ploys against it, including the criminal annexation plan, is a religious duty incumbent upon every Muslim, each according to his status, expertise and ability, as Allah said in the Quran [61:10-13]: 'O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment? That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you wage jihad in the Cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives… He will forgive for you your sins and admit you to Paradise... and [you will obtain]… victory from Allah and an imminent conquest; and give good tidings to the believers.'
"2. The clerics warn the Muslim nation – its leaders and its peoples – not to evade [the duty of] supporting our Palestinian brothers in confronting this Zionist crime of annexation, and not to abandon them, and emphasize that this crime is directed against the entire [Muslim] nation and against its faith, its beliefs and its holy places. Forsaking our brothers in Palestine and failing to confront this new Zionist crime… will be a disgrace [upon you] in the world to come…
"3. The clerics congratulate the Palestinian resistance factions and commend their steadfastness and their clear statement that the Zionist annexation plan is tantamount to a declaration of war. The clerics stress that this heroic resistance will bring a disaster upon the Zionist enemy and cause him to rethink his considerations, restrain himself and refrain from continuing his mistaken and aggressive [actions]. The clerics urge the resistance factions in Palestine to establish a joint war-room in order to formulate practical plans for confronting the Zionist crime. Allah the Almighty said [in Quran 51:4]: 'Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a [single] structure joined firmly.'
"4. The clerics stress that the nation must rally around the Palestinian resistance and support it in its war against the Zionist entity by every possible means, both material and moral. Supporting the Palestinian resistance as it confronts the criminal annexation plan is a form of jihad for the sake of Allah… The Prophet said: 'Wage jihad against the polytheists with your wealth, your lives and your tongues'…
"5. The clerics call on the Palestinian factions, chief among them Fatah and Hamas, to quickly complete the Palestinian reconciliation -- for [achieving] reconciliation, strengthening the domestic arena and ending the division are among the most important tasks at the present time, in order to confront the new Zionist aggression. In this context, the clerics welcome the initiatives for [achieving] unity, the meetings between the factions and the political activity aimed at confronting the crime of annexation, and call to translate them into action on the ground…
"6. The clerics call on the Arab and Muslim leaders to take an honorable position, that the generations [to come] will count in their favor, against this Zionist crime and in order to halt it. This is the duty of the honorable among them, in light of the collapse of the official institutions of government in the Arab and Muslim world. They must know that on the Day of Judgement, they will be judged on [how they performed] their duty towards the Land of [Muhammad's] Night Journey [i.e., Palestine]. [3]
"7. The clerics stress that the [actions of] some regimes that are rushing to normalize relations with the Zionist entity and to turn the resistance and its supporters into criminals is tantamount to tangible support for the Zionist annexation plan and for the escalating Zionist crimes against Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa mosque, the West Bank, Gaza and the rest of Palestine. The clerics urge these normalizers to rethink their positions, repent before Allah, and rally, along with their living peoples, against the Zionist entity, which will not benefit them in any way or keep them on their thrones, as they deludedly believe…
"8. The clerics signed below call upon all the religious institutions of the [Muslim] nation to coordinate their efforts [against the annexation plan], to maintain ongoing contact with one another and to agree on a uniform course of action, on mechanisms [for carrying it out], and on coordinated and aggressive joint plans to confront the expected crime of annexation. The clerics of the Muslim nation must be the first to pool their efforts and coordinate in defending the Land of the Night Journey [i.e., Palestine]…
"9. The clerics call on the peoples of our [Muslim] nation to take action on the ground, and take to the streets and the squares wherever this is possible to condemn this Zionist annexation crime and express their opposition to it. [They also urge them] to take action in cyberspace and on social media, in order to expose the crimes of the Zionist entity and blacken its face, and as [a way of waging] jihad for the sake of Allah by means of words and positions.
"10. The clerics call on the peoples of the Muslim nation to spread a spirit of eager commitment to the duty of waging jihad by means of wealth, so as to extend as much financial aid as possible to our murabitoun [front-line fighters] in Palestine, for they are the first line of defense of our nation and our holy places. The Almighty said [in Quran 4:95]: 'Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at home), except those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or lame, etc.), and those who wage jihad in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred in grades those who wage jihad with their wealth and their lives above those who sit (at home). Unto each, Allah has promised good (Paradise), but Allah has preferred those who Wage jihad, above those who sit (at home) by a huge reward.’
"With Allah's help, this Zionist crime will not come to pass as long as the jihad-fighters keep their finger on to the trigger, as long as the peoples of our nation live, remain alert and take the initiative, and as long as, in the Land of the Night Journey [Palestine], there is a people who seeks death so as to be given life…"
[1] In an interview he gave on Al-Jazeera in November 18, 2018, Al-Raissouni revealed that Qatar has supported the organization since its inception and that Turkey now funds it as well, and said: "There is nothing wrong with that and we don't hide it. On the contrary, we are proud of it and we urge all the countries to follow in the footsteps of those two" (aljazeera.net, November 18, 2018).
[2] Iumsonline.org/ar, July 2, 2020.
[3] According to Islam, the Prophet Muhammad journeyed by night from Mecca to Jerusalem, from whence he ascended to heaven.
