Jihad Declaration: Scholars Demand Urgent Action for Palestine

The Secretary-General IUMS, Ali Al-Qaradaghi © Collected

The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a group of prominent Islamic scholars, has issued a fatwa (religious decree) calling all Muslims and Muslim-majority countries to wage jihad due to the Israeli government's destructive war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

p>The rare fatwa was issued in support of 14 prominent Muslim scholars after 17 months of devastating war against Palestinians living in besieged Gaza.

Ali al-Qardaghi, the union's secretary-general, said in a statement on Friday that all Muslim countries must immediately intervene militarily, economically and politically to stop the massacre and widespread destruction.

"Failure by Arab and Islamic governments to stop the destruction of Gaza will be considered a major crime against our oppressed Palestinian brothers under Islamic law," the 15-point decree said.

Ali al-Qaradaghi is considered one of the most respected religious authorities in the Middle East region. In particular, his decrees hold significant significance among the world's nearly two billion Sunni Muslims.

The decree calls on all Islamic countries to "review their peace deal" with Tel Aviv and pressure the Trump administration to fulfill President Donald Trump's campaign promises to end brutal wars.

In a statement, Ali al-Qardaghi said that supporting an infidel enemy is forbidden to eradicate Muslims in Gaza, no matter how they support it. It is forbidden to sell arms to it, or to facilitate its transportation through ports or international waterways such as the Suez Canal, the Bab al-Mandab, the Strait of Hormuz, or any other land, sea or air.

"The union has issued a religious decree calling for restrictions on air, land, and sea access for the occupying force, as a measure of solidarity with our Palestinian brothers in Gaza."

At least 50,609 people have been killed so far in the Israeli government's genocidal war in Gaza that began in October 2023 following a Hamas retaliatory offensive.

In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former minister in charge of military affairs, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.