DOHA: A Sunni group led by Doha-based influential cleric Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi, has issued a fatwa, urging Egyptians to ignore a call by their army chief to stage rallies in support of a crackdown on “terrorism”.
The Association of Muslim Scholars issued the fatwa late on Wednesday, “prohibiting (Egyptians from) responding to any call leading to civil war or covering up (the army’s actions) of violence against any party, or inciting sedition”.
Army chief General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on Wednesday called for mass rallies today to support a security force crackdown on “terrorism and violence”. With tensions running high three weeks after the military ousted president Mohammed Mursi, Al Sisi’s call for demonstrations raises the prospect of further deadly violence.
His call was denounced by Islamists who branded it a call to “civil war” ahead of their own mass protests today to demand Mursi’s reinstatement.
The association urged “all Egyptians — people, parties, army and police — to preserve their country’s security and prevent all that could lead to a civil war in which all sides will be losers”. It said Egyptians should “use wisdom to overcome this crisis... preserve the peaceful nature of their protests, and to be patient under all conditions”.
It also urged other countries to come up with “an urgent initiative to resolve this dangerous crisis that threatens the security of Egypt as well as the Arab and Muslim world”. Earlier this month, Al Qaradawi had issued a fatwa, urging Egyptians to support Mursi. AFP
