English translation of the Hebrew original.
Last week, I discussed a question with several people on my feed: were the events of October 7 the work of an extremist group “riding on” Islam, while true Islam opposes events of this kind? Or does the Islamic mainstream actually not oppose acts of barbaric violence against us?
I promised to expand on this in a thread. Here goes.
First, some disclaimers:
- I know this thread is not politically correct. I do not particularly care. I am not writing my opinions but presenting facts. Do with them what you will.
- This is a thread, not an academic study. I will try to represent the Islamic mainstream faithfully, but if you are looking for intricate Quranic debate, this is not the place. I am concerned with what actually happens.
Let me begin with the conclusion:
Since October 7, it has been almost impossible to find Muslim religious leaders condemning the massacre perpetrated by Hamas.
But Al-Azhar went further.
The institution, located in Cairo and considered the most important religious authority in Sunni Islam, issued a statement praising Hamas on the day of the massacre. It said, among other things, that it “salutes with absolute pride the resistance efforts of the Palestinian people” and “strengthens the hearts and hands of the proud Palestinian people, who breathed spirit and confidence into us and restored us to life.”
Later, on October 18, Al-Azhar’s fatwa center issued a religious ruling stating that “the Zionist civilians on the occupied land do not deserve the description ‘civilians,’ but are occupiers of land, usurpers of rights, and deviants from the path of the prophets, who attack Jerusalem’s historical holy sites.”
I emphasize again: this is a religious ruling from what may be the most important religious institution in Sunni Islam.
But if you think this is an exceptional occurrence in the moderate Sunni world, let me introduce another senior Egyptian religious authority who died recently: Sheikh Dr. Yusuf Abdullah al-Qaradawi, may his bones be ground to dust.
Sheikh al-Qaradawi was considered one of Sunni Islam’s leading religious jurists and the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He was known primarily for his popular Al Jazeera program, watched by approximately 60 million Muslims each week.
Here are some of the enduring contributions the deceased left us:
- “The suicide bomber is a martyr because he sacrificed his life for the sacred cause of fighting oppression… These operations should be seen as the weapon of the weak against the strong. This is a kind of divine justice, when the poor, who have no weapons, receive a weapon the strong and armed do not possess… This weapon is their willingness to turn their bodies into bombs, as the Palestinians do.”
- “Throughout history, Allah has set people over the Jews to punish them for their corruption… The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. Through everything he did to them—even though they exaggerate this matter—he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them… God willing, next time it will come at the hands of the believers.”
Al-Qaradawi also issued a fatwa permitting attacks on Jews throughout the world. He explained that, in his view, “there is almost no fundamental difference between Judaism and Zionism,” and therefore every Jewish target is equivalent to an Israeli target.
Of course, this conception is not a new invention. Its foundations lie in the Sunnah, the life and practices of the Prophet Muhammad—the “beautiful example,” in the words of the Quran—who was the first to massacre the Jews of Qurayza, and then the Jews of Khaybar (“Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews…”).
It is important to remember that Islam is a political religion: a colonialism whose purpose is to impose Islamic rule and Sharia law throughout the world.
Jihad—the effort toward achieving this objective—has two components:
Offensive jihad: conquering lands defined as Dar al-Harb—countries that have not yet been conquered by Islam—and bringing them under Muslim rule, or waging war against unbelievers.
Offensive jihad is obligatory only when there is a caliph who unites all Muslims around him. No such caliph exists today, so it is not part of the current Islamic mainstream.
Defensive jihad: when a foreign entity conquers Muslim land, every Muslim has an individual obligation—fard al-ayn—to do everything in their power to expel the invaders.
The Land of Israel was conquered in the seventh century by Caliph Umar. Therefore, every Muslim has an obligation to do everything they can to remove us from here, including suicide bombings.
As an aside, the new “The West Is Next” campaign is interesting specifically in the context of defensive jihad. Parts of Europe—Portugal, Spain, and even areas of southern France—were part of Al-Andalus, which was under Muslim control between 711 and 1492. They are therefore part of Dar al-Islam and are also subject to this individual obligation.
To conclude, the facts are before you. Do with them as you see fit.
I am not offering interpretation, just presenting the material in an orderly way within a 280-character limit.
For interpretations delivered in an Arabic accent and an authoritative tone, you can turn to those who make a living from that on their blogs.
Images and video attached to the original publication: Media 1 · Media 2 · Media 3 · Media 4 · Media 5 · Media 6 · Media 7 · Media 8