Al-Azhar Urged to Reconsider Position, Think about Future of Muslim Ummah
As the US-Israeli aggression, which has killed hundreds of innocent Iranians, continues, Al-Ahzar has recently issued a statement in which it has condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks on US bases in the region.
A number of senior Iranian clerics and institutions have reacted to Al-Azhar’s statement.
Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, regretted Al-Azhar’s stance, saying while Muslims around the world were impatiently waiting for the presidency of Al-Azhar - like other Islamic scholars - to announce its position of support for the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has been violated by the infidel American regime and the aggressor Zionists, “we suddenly encountered a statement attributed to this institution in which it condemned the oppressed Muslim and sheds false tears over the retaliatory blows that the forces of Islam have inflicted on the bases and interests of America in the region. Surprisingly, the presidency of Al-Azhar has come to the aid of the infidel America and supports the oppressive Zionist infidel who has committed the most heinous crimes against the Muslim nation of Iran; crimes that include assassinating the Imam of the Muslims and the leader of the anti-Zionist resistance front, as well as the crime of attacking a children's school in Minab, killing 165 innocent girls and killing thousands of children of the oppressed and Muslim nation of Iran. All these tragedies took place with the open support of the rulers of the southern Persian Gulf states; the same ones who placed all their logistical facilities, military bases, property, land and sky at the disposal of the aggressor America and the criminal Zionism.”
Ayatollah Araki added, “Has not the presidency of Al-Azhar recited this divine word that says: ‘And do not cooperate with one another in sin and aggression.’ [Verse 2 of Surah Al-Ma’idah) We advise the presidency of Al-Azhar to return to the path of growth and righteousness and to act on the clear and explicit ruling of Islam regarding the necessity of helping the oppressed Muslims who have been subjected to aggression by the infidels and the aggressors and their allied mercenaries; Before this institution - which is expected to move on the path of Islamic rule - loses its place among the Islamic Ummah and is recognized by the global Islamic community, from its east to its west, as a tool in the hands of the Zionists and the aggressors and criminals Americans, who can push it in any direction that serves their interests and strengthens their aggression against Islam and Muslims.”
Read More:
Also, Ayatollah Ali Abbasi, the president of Al-Mustafa International University, slammed Al-Azhar’s statement.
“I would like to express my surprise and regret to you about the statement of the Al-Azhar Fatwa Council issued in recent days in the midst of the insidious aggression of the United States and its evil regional partner, the Zionist occupying regime.
While emphasizing the necessity of preserving the sanctity of Muslim blood and observing international law, this statement condemned any military action by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the positions of the United States and the Zionist regime in the countries of the region and described these attacks as destabilizing the region.”
Ayatollah Abbasi added, “You are aware that the United States and Israel, in the midst of negotiations, with the intention of collapsing and dividing Islamic Iran, attacked the territory of Islamic Iran during the holy month of Ramadan and martyred the Imam, the great leader and scholar of the Islamic Revolution, a number of military commanders, and a number of oppressed people of Islamic Iran.
In your opinion and that of the Al-Azhar Fatwa Council, did the Iranian nation and military forces have any choice but to resist in such a situation? Why did you and that council not consider it appropriate to condemn this blatant invasion of an Islamic country by the Zionist Jews? … In the emergency situation of the Muslim people of Iran, what justification is there for this silence?”
He added that in the statement of the Al-Azhar Fatwa Council, Iran’s attack on American bases in the countries of the region is condemned. “It is strange! America attacked an Islamic country using facilities located in the countries of the region, and our military forces responded by attacking their base, from which the American planes were flying, in response.
But surprisingly, the Al-Azhar Fatwa Council ignored the aggressor’s attack and condemned our international and legal right to legitimately defend ourselves and punish the aggressor! Didn’t God Almighty say in the Holy Quran: ‘So whoever attacks you, attack him in the same way as he attacked you.’ (Verse 194 of Surah Al-Baqarah).
Don’t you think that your audience will face challenges in facing this dual approach and disobedience to the Quranic command?”
Read More:
He also noted that Al-Azhar has condemned Iran’s attack on American bases in the countries of the region.
“Mr. Dr. Al-Tayyeb! Why doesn’t your university’s Fatwa Council give these neighboring countries any warning that they should not place the Islamic country’s territory at the disposal of the American warlord?
“Let’s think a little about the future of the Islamic world and the Muslim Ummah. Are Israel and America the only enemies of Iran? Is it any other than the fact that the crime of Islamic Iran is the practical defense of the oppressed people of the honorable Gaza? Take my brotherly warning seriously that silence in the current disaster will cause serious damage to the future of the Islamic Ummah.
“Let us join hands and gather under the tent of the Quran and speak and act against the evil of anti-Zionism based on Quranic justice. Regardless of the need for a Day of Judgment response to our words and silence today, future generations will judge our words and actions today.”
Read More:
Meanwhile, the Secretariat of the Supreme Council for the Cultural Revolution, also slammed Al-Azhar's recent statement.
“The world today is witness that all the terrors, aggressions, and heavy pressures imposed on the Iranian nation are for the crime of steadfastness in supporting the Palestinian cause and defending the oppressed. This resilient strategy is not a temporary political choice, but a requirement of our faith in the unbreakable bond of the Islamic nation. Islamic Iran pays the price for this awakening and zeal of faith with the blood of its purest children and highest authorities to prove that defending the Muslim entity, beyond geographical borders, is a divine duty. Our battle is a jihad for the honor of all Muslims based on the truth that only the believers are brothers.”
It went on to say, “We are aware of and regret the political pressures that led to the elimination of the cry for the right of Al-Azhar regarding the oppression of the Muslims of Gaza. However, we believe that Al-Azhar and the seminaries, as the solid pillars of Islamic civilization, have a mission beyond imposed expediency. Dear Al-Azhar has always shone at the heart of Islamic history and is expected to be the resounding voice of the front of truth at this historical juncture as well. Let us not allow the dust of politics to settle on the truths of revelation. This Secretariat declares its readiness to initiate deep civilizational dialogues to safeguard the dignity and independence of the Islamic Ummah. Future generations, and before that, the Lord of the Universe, will judge our current positions.”
4342288
