Religion and war: Modern Islamic religious institutions and Gaza War

There are about four centers of traditional religiouscenters of power in the modern Islamic world: Alazhar representing the so-called mainstream Sunni Islam, Saudi Arabia representing the Salafi Islam, the official sect of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey under the Islamist JDP drawing authority from the fact that Turkey represented the last pan-Islamic government, and Shia centers of religious power represented by Qom (Iran), and Najaf (Iraq). The most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia, has not played a role in shaping the religious discourse, rather was a battleground for influence exerted by other centers of Religious power. 

What role and what position have these religious centers of power and authority and other national and regional religious institutions taken?

Salafism and the Gaza war

Since the start of Western colonialism, Islam has played some public role, even through silence. Saudi edition of Islam played a prominent role in the West’s war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. It created the interpretative foundation that allowed Salafists to fund and recruit fighters in support of what they called, “Islamic Jihad”. That religious propaganda resulted in the production of groups like al-Qaeda, which launched its direct attack on the US in 2001 and justified it by US support for Israel. 23 years later, with Israel carrying its most destructive and deadly attack on Palestinians, and the Saudi religious institutions, especially the office of the Mufti, went totally silent. Perhaps worried about revisiting the connection between Salafism and terrorism, the Muftis now limiting his role to addressing the Islamic rulings about personal hygiene and family relations, and leaving all other matters to the crown prince, who just visited him to check on his health.

 

Al-Azhar balancing act: support political leadership and make public statements

 

The Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif confirmed today, Thursday, that the massacres committed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip are “a disgrace to all those who support it with money or weapons.”

 

The Commission, headed by the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, said that these massacres will be a disgrace to all those who are silent about the crimes of the occupation, pointing out that the position of the Council of Senior Scholars is clear regarding this aggression against the Palestinian people.

 

The Commission announced its rejection of displacing Palestinians “from their homeland to any other place,” noting that the occupation has gone too far in its aggression, killing children and women, and striking mosques, churches, hospitals, schools, and homes, in and around Gaza.

 

The Commission also condemned the "shameful positions of the countries and governments that support the occupation" in its aggression against the Palestinian people, calling on them to listen to the voice of their people defending this issue.

 

Lebanon’s Sunni Shia divide
 

Dar Al-Fatwa suppresses sheikhs: Criticism of Geagea is forbidden!

With Shia Hezbollah direct support to Hamas in Gaza, the rest of the Sunni community is more interested in appeasing regional powers and preserving the political balance in the country than taking position on the war.

The Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian, came to the thoughts of Maarab and Al-Saifi, who were disturbed by the tweets of the Assistant Inspector General of Dar Al-Fatwa, Sheikh Hassan Merheb, so he decided to muzzle the mouths of the sheikhs and prevent them from expressing their opinions and political positions.

 The message delivered by the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, to Dar al-Fatwa, in protest against the positions of the Assistant Inspector General of Dar al-Fatwa, Sheikh Hassan Merheb, on his party and the Phalange Party, against the backdrop of their positions on the war on Gaza and the resistance against the Israeli enemy in Palestine and Lebanon, did not go unnoticed. The message woke up the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, from his stupor. Although “His Eminence” did not move in the face of the poor living conditions of the imams of the mosques and Sharia judges, and in the face of the repercussions of the crisis on the institutions affiliated with Dar al-Fatwa and its endowments, and he was not moved by the deteriorating living and political conditions of the Sunni community, he rose up to silence the sheikhs and “hold their breath” for the sake of Samir Geagea. And Sami Al-Jamil. As a reminder, the first was convicted of killing a Sunni prime minister, and the second declared a week ago that Israel does not attack Lebanon except in self-defense! Geagea’s “outrage” did not insult the Mufti, so he issued a decision to suppress the sheikhs and confiscate their opinions, in a statement distributed by the media office last Friday, in which he said: “Based on the directives of the Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, it is strictly forbidden to make political statements, positions or opinions for all employees of the religious apparatus and institutions affiliated with Dar al-Fatwa without first obtaining written permission from the General Directorate of Islamic Endowments and the relevant relevant departments,” he pointed out. “Dar Al-Fatwa does not adopt any political opinion that does not come directly from it and rejects any position that leads to strife or disagreement among the Lebanese.”

Syrian armed rebel groups are not taking a position in support of Palestinians

All secular and religious armed groups that have been fighting for more than a decade to overthrow the Syrian government are taking a muted position in relations to the war in Gaza.

The secular groups position as expressed in the lack of coverage on their main website:

 

The Muslim Brotherhood position as expressed in their coverage on their main website: