Saudi Scholars Say Resistance in Iraq Is Jihad

In a statement published yesterday on a prominent Islamic website, the Saudi scholars also called for not shedding Iraqi Muslim blood and not targeting nationals of other countries whose governments have not taken part in the war.

The people signing the statement said the reason that led them to issue such a statement was “the exceptional condition that Iraqi people are going through, also to call for unity among Muslims and it being a Muslim duty to advise their brethren.”

The scholars stressed the importance of a unified Iraq, asking Iraqis to forsake personal, regional or tribal interests to ensure that justice is served among all. They also told the Iraqi people that they should understand the reality they were living because, “any vision that goes beyond seeing things in their true perspective with all its details will end in failure.”

The statement was signed by Sheikh Safar Al-Hawali — who has been a mediator between terrorists and the Saudi government in the past year — Sheikh Salman Al-Awdah, Sheikh Nasir Al-Omar, Sheikh Hatim Al-Ouni, Sheikh Awad Al-Qarni, Sheikh Saud Al-Finaisan, and many others.

The scholars also said that resistance was legitimate and it is not allowed for any Muslim to harm a resisting person or to tell the enemy of their locations. But, in contrary, they should stand beside them and protect them. They also issued a fatwa — a religious edict — saying it was sinful in Islam to assist or support any military operations by the occupying forces and that anyone who does so would be “cooperating in evil and enmity”

They called, at the same time, for easing everyday conditions of ordinary Iraqis by providing their day-to-day needs of medical, educational, and living conditions, stressing the importance of saving Muslim blood and honor in Iraq and considering that “a basic principle of the religion”

The statement also added that there were “hidden hands” that try to “ignite turmoil and rip Iraqis into sects, fueling domestic battles between Shiites and Sunnis and between Kurds and Arabs”.

The statement called on Muslims everywhere who consider themselves “followers of Dawa (propagation)” to turn to Iraq to help take part in its reconstruction and contribute in its educational and philanthropic services.

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Prominent Saudi religious scholars have called on Iraqis to support fighters battling US-led forces, saying fighting the presence of foreign troops is a duty and a right.

In an open letter addressed to the Iraqi people and posted on the internet on Saturday, 26 Saudi scholars and religious preachers stressed that armed attacks launched by Iraqi groups on US troops and their allies in Iraq were legitimate resistance.

The statement came as US troops, backed by air and artillery power, were gearing up for a major assault on Falluja.

The scholars - some of whom have been criticised in the past for their views - issued a fatwa, or religious edict, prohibiting Iraqis from offering any support for military operations carried out by US forces against anti-US fighter strongholds.

"Fighting the occupiers is a duty for all those who are able. It is a jihad (holy war) to push back the assailants," said the letter dated 5 November.

"Resistance is a legitimate right. A Muslim must not inflict harm on any resistance man or inform about them. Instead, they should be supported and protected," it said.

'Extraordinary situation'

Among the scholars who signed the letter are influential Sunni Muslim clerics Shaikh Safar al-Hawali, Shaikh Nasir al-Umar, Shaikh Salman al-Awda, Shaikh Sharif Hatim al-Auni and Shaikh Awad al-Qarni.

Al-Hawali - jailed in the 1990s for five years without trial because of his criticism of US involvement in the 1991 Gulf war - is known for his radical views and was once close to Usama bin Ladin.

Like many Islamic activists, al-Hawali also opposed the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia. His name appeared this month on a list issued by a group of Arab intellectuals who seek prosecution of prominent clerics for encouraging what they say is terrorism.

The religious scholars said their appeal was prompted by "the extraordinary situation through which the Iraqis are passing which calls for unity and exchange of views".

Stressing the need for national unity, the scholars said inter-Iraqi fighting would cause "great damage to the Iraqis and give a free service to the Jews who are infiltrating into Iraq and to the coalition forces which exploit differences to consolidate their domination".

Muslims must be spared

The scholars also urged Iraqis fighting US-led forces in Iraq to spare the lives of Iraqi Muslims and not to target citizens of countries that refused to join the US-led forces that invaded Iraq last year.

The invasion angered many in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to its two holiest cities.

The Saudi government has launched a military campaign against anti-government fighters that started after al-Qaida-affiliated operatives attacked three residential compounds in Riyadh in May 2003. Several more attacks followed and a number of Westerners have been killed.

The government also began an anti-extremism campaign, reining in clerics who espoused radical views.

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RIYADH: Prominent Saudi religious scholars have declared support for militants fighting US-led forces in neighbouring Iraq, saying holy war against occupiers was a duty.

The 26 preachers and scholars said Muslims in Iraq should unite to expel the “colonial alliance” from their country, in a statement posted on the Internet on the eve of an expected US assault on the militant stronghold of Falluja.

“There is no doubt that jihad (holy war) against the occupiers is a duty for all who are able. It’s a jihad to drive back the assailants,” said the statement, dated November 5. The declaration was signed by influential Sunni Muslim scholars including Awad al-Qarni, Salman al-Awdah and Safar al-Hawali, all jailed in a clampdown on Islamists in the 1990s but later released after muting their criticism.

Last year’s US-led invasion of Iraq angered many in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to its two holiest cities.

Iraqi authorities said last month they had captured 24 suspected Saudi militants, and diplomats say many more may have slipped across the border to fight.

Saudi authorities are waging their own battle against supporters of Saudi-born Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who have launched suicide bomb attacks against foreign residential compounds and shot dead several foreigners in recent months.

The statement did not explicitly call on Muslims to go to Iraq to wage war, but it did urge them to “stand by their brothers in Iraq”.

“...Those occupiers, there is no doubt they are warring aggressors and it is legitimate to fight them until they leave humiliated. Even earthly laws acknowledge the right of people to resist,” it said.

“Resistance is a legitimate right, indeed a legitimate duty for the Iraqi people to defend themselves, their honour, land and oil”.

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