Qatari based council: ‘Armed Jihad against Israel an obligation’

AL JAZEERA headquarters in Doha, Qatar

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.

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.”

Despite the IUMS’s wide-reaching influence and central role in the world of Islamist movements, others were more hesitant towards the edict. For instance, Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta, the country’s Islamic advisory and governmental body, claimed that, according to Sharia, those who call for armed Jihad must also take part in it personally adding that "the call for jihad without taking into account the capabilities of the nation and its political, military and economic reality is an irresponsible call that contradicts the principles of Islamic law."

‘Proof that Hamas is backed by international bodies’

Dr. Nesya Shemer, an expert in Sharia and Jewish-Islamic relations, explained to the Jerusalem Post that the fatwa calling for armed Jihad against Israel is an example of Fard ‘Ayn, a religious obligation incumbent upon each and every Muslim wherever they are.

“This means that the IUMS views Jihad against Israel as a ‘defensive Jihad’ aimed at fending off foes from the homeland which is to be ruled by Islam,” Shemer elaborated, adding that in their view, Palestine had been under Islamic rule since the 7th century and up until the British mandate and thus should be ‘retrieved.’ “This is opposed to offensive Jihad regarded as Fard Kifayah, an obligation incumbent upon the Islamic nation as a whole, in which a representative force of Muslims would suffice,” she explained.

When asked about the meaning of the new fatwa, Shemer stressed that it continues the line led by the IUMS since the beginning of the war. “While the immediate implications of this fatwa are not yet fully clear, there is growing fear that the fatwa will expand to become a global religious war against Jews all around the world, in a manner which will directly impact the lives of Jewish communities abroad,” Shemer elaborated.

“Moreover, the war and the images circulating in the media could affect public opinion in Israel’s bordering countries, which would affect the stability of the regimes in them,” Shemer continued. “However, with all due respect, neither these fatwas nor the perception of our neighboring regimes should guide Israel in its quest to defeat Hamas and its supporters worldwide.”

Shemer concluded: “This fatwa illustrates how Hamas is not just a small terrorist organization operating from Gaza, but rather one that is backed by international Muslim bodies and organizations that advocate for the same ideology. Dealing with Hamas is, in fact, dealing with that same Islamist ideology, which is international and widespread within the Muslim world."