Jerusalem Mufti justifies suicide attacks against Israel
By Daniel Sobelman, Ha'aretz Correspondent
The Friday edition of the Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat published remarks made Thursday by Jerusalem Mufti Sheikh Ikrema Sabri in which he justified suicide bombings against Israel. The remarks also slammed religious rulings in Egypt and Saudi Arabi that condemned suicide attacks.
The Sheikh of the El-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Mohammed Said Tantawi, said last week that suicide attacks were contrary to the laws of Islam and killed innocent people. A similar ruling was made by a leading Saudi Mufti. However Sabri said, "Those religious rulings were a result of international pressure," adding "those that lack the courage to speak the truth, should keep quiet and not say things that cause confusion."
"The opposition [to Israel] is legitimate, and he who gives his life, does not have to ask permission from anyone....We have to concentrate on the legitimacy of the opposition, it is forbidden to oppose the Intifada and the Jihad, but [an obligation] to stand beside them and support them." said Sabri, who was appointed as Jerusalem Mufti by Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
When asked about the killing of civilians, Sabri replied, "Who is a civilian and who is a soldier? After all, the dead amongst Palestinian civilians - women and children - are much more than the number of fighters killed during the Intifada. School children, their bodies ripped to shreds. Pregnant women stopped from reaching hospitals - often the mother and child die. Why doesn't the media focus on those pictures?" |
