Iran hails Muslim scholars for issuing 'fatwa' calling for 'jihad' against Israel

Several prominent Muslim scholars have issued a rare religious decree or "fatwa", calling on all Muslims and Muslim-majority countries to wage "jihad" against Israel after 18 months of devastating war against Palestinians residing in the besieged enclave.

Hojjatoleslam Haj Ali-Akbari, head of the Prayer Leaders' Policymaking Council, wrote in a letter that the contemporary history of the Islamic world has recorded in its memory the fatwas of jihads that stood as a solid barrier against the cycle of occupation and colonization of Muslim lands.

The history of the struggles of Muslim nations in the region and the Islamic world has recorded a great fatwa against colonialists and occupiers. The issuance of jihadi and anti-colonial fatwas by great Sunni and Shiite scholars has a long history, especially in the face of occupation and colonialism in the past two centuries, when these fateful movements are clearly evident, the letter reads.

I hope that this great achievement will be met with widespread support from the scholars of the Islamic world, and Islamic governments, especially the Muslim Ummah and the resistance supporters will respond positively to it.