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"Whoever
attacks others, spilling blood, harming the other's honor and land
is a terrorist," Tantawi
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Additional
Reporting By Sobhi Mujahid, IOL Cairo Correspondent
CAIRO,
April 5 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Egypt's top Islamic
cleric slammed Saturday, April 5, the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq as
an act by "terrorists", saying he gave his blessings to
volunteers wishing to help the Iraqis fight against their invaders.
"Whoever
attacks others, spilling blood, harming the other's honor and land is a
terrorist," Mohamed Sayyed Tantawi told a news conference, in an
apparent reference to the U.S.-British forces.
Head
of Islam's highest authority, Tantawi, however, said the Iraq invasion
was not a crusade against Islam since many Christian nations and
religious leaders, including Pope John Paul II, have voiced their
opposition to it.
"Permitted"
He
made clear that martyr operations are "permitted under the Islamic
religious law" to face this aggression.
"Whoever
wants to head for Iraq to support the Iraqi people, the door is open,
and I say the door for Jihad (holy struggle) is open until the day of
judgment," the top Egyptian cleric said.
"Whoever
wants to go to fight alongside the Iraqi people, I welcome him … I
tell go with peace and I wish you well. We do not prevent anyone from
going to help those who are facing injustice."
The
Egyptian Bar Association announced a few days ago that volunteers could
sign up to leave for Jihad against the U.S.-British war in Iraq, now in
its third week.
Baghdad
said that thousands of Arab volunteers had arrived in Iraq and are ready
to "martyr" themselves in the war.
Tantawi
had earlier told IslamOnline.net in an
exclusive interview that attempts to stop a U.S. aggression on Iraq is “Jihad” and
resisting such an attack is a binding Islamic duty”.
"Saddam
To Blame"
In
spite of his full support for the Iraqi people, The Grand Imam of Azhar
slammed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's refusal a call from the United
Arab Emirates last month to cede power in order to spare his country the
current aggression.
"Had
this initiative gone through, it would have preserved the blood of many
Muslims and we would not be seeing the massacres under way against the
Iraqi people."
Tantawi
described Iraq's August 1990-February 1991 occupation of Kuwait as a
"terrorist" act.
But
he hit out at Kuwait, without actually naming the emirate, saying
"when an Arab country enlists the help of foreign forces against
another Arab country for no reason, this is treason to religion."
On
March 27, Syria's Grand Mufti
Sheikh Ahmad Kaftaro, the country's top Muslim religious authority,
called for "martyr" operations against U.S. and British troops
in Iraq.
He
called for stopping the war against Iraq, saying the invasion of Iraq
allegedly to oust the regime of Saddam Hussein is all but an
"unjust aggression".
"The
war against the Iraqi people must, must, must stop as soon as
possible," he added.
Renowned
Islamic scholar Sheikh Youssef Al-Qaradawi also ruled that anybody
killed in a military operation aimed at expelling American occupation
forces from the Gulf is a martyr due to his
good intention.
"Obligatory"
