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Sunni And Shiite Scholars Back Armed Struggle To Free Jerusalem
contributions by Salem Mashkhour for IslamOnline
BEIRUT, Jan 29 (IslamOnline) - Two leading scholars of Islam's two main Muslim doctrines issued a united call Monday for all Muslims to unite and adopt "the armed struggle" as the only means to free Jerusalem from Israeli control.
In the opening speech of a conference on Jerusalem, leaders of the of the Shiite Islamic Resistance Organization in South Lebanon, Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah, and Sheikh Yussuf al-Qaradawi, prominent Sunni scholar, both urged Muslims to continue the armed resistance (jihad) to liberate Palestine.
Both scholars gave their opening addresses during a conference in Beirut, held for the first time to discuss the issue of Jerusalem, and attended by dozens of Islamic scholars, intellectuals and politicians.
Qaradawi, a respected and moderate cleric, said Muslims, both Shiite and Sunni, should unite behind Jerusalem. "We all unite behind this issue - all Muslims regardless of their orientations; Sunni, Shiites, Arabs and non-Arabs."
An Egyptian graduate of the prestigious al-Azhar University in Cairo, Qaradawi, often singled out for criticism by Zionist rabbis for his role in stirring popular support for Palestinians in Muslim countries, said he did not advocate hatred toward Jews but towards Israeli occupiers of Islamic holy land.
"We are not against Jews because they embrace a different dogma, rather we are against them because they've violated our rights and occupied our land," said Qaradawi. "When the Jews were expelled from Europe, they lived peacefully among us, then, they've started enmity against Muslims."
The Hezbollah leader, whose forces managed to end an 18-year Israeli occupation of South Lebanon, said Muslims should back the Palestinian Intifada, which came after an extremist Israeli politician encroached on al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on September 28th.
"The real choice for the Palestinians is the Intifada [uprising against occupation] and armed resistance," Nasrallah said. "It's our duty as Muslims to support the Palestinian people."
Nasrallah urged Israeli Arabs (Arabs who came under Israeli rule after the 1948 war) to boycott the upcoming Israeli elections saying that they should declare the election day, February 6th, a day of "mourning and anger."
Nasrallah called upon Islamic scholars to issue a religious fatwa prohibiting any Muslim from participating in the elections.
Several Islamic scholars, including the Sheikh of al-Azhar, Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, issued fatwas supporting the Palestinians in their uprising against Israeli occupation, and demonstrations broke out in several Muslim capitals condemning Israeli atrocities against Palestinians and Islamic holy sites.
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