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Following are excerpts from an Al-Nahar TV debate by Egyptian clerics discussing the Syrian crisis, which aired on Al-February 16, 2012:
Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi: After the last show, I got a call from a young Syrian man, who asked me to issue a fatwa on whether it was permitted to kill Bashar [Al-Assad], and – if it was feasible – whether they should kill him or not. To tell you the truth, I answered that it was permissible. If they are able to kill that tyrant, they should kill him. His killing is sanctioned.
Egyptian cleric Muhamamd Abd Al-Maqsoud: It is an obligation to kill him.
Safwat Higazi: You do not merely agree with me that it is permissible, but you are saying it's an obligation…
Muhamamd Abd Al-Maqsoud: Absolutely. He must be killed.
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That ruler is a tyrant. Unfortunately, a false religion is being presented to people today. This tyrant, who should be proclaimed an infidel and toppled, is presented by those people as a ruler who should be followed. This happens everywhere, including in Egypt. I believe that if this man is killed, things may be resolved, at least in part.
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Safwat Higazi: This is a fatwa: This sinning tyrant, who has gone astray, should be killed.
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