Introduction
In a statement issued on June 23, 2019, the International Union of Muslims Scholars (IUMS) called on the Muslim nation and the Arab leaders to boycott the Peace to Prosperity workshop in Bahrain, to be held on June 25-26 to discuss the economic part of the Trump administration's "Deal of the Century." The statement, signed by IUMS head Dr. Ahmad Al-Raissouni and by the union's secretary-general Dr. 'Ali Al-Qaradaghi, blasts the Arab leaders for "rushing towards the deal" instead of rejecting it and for falling over each other to serve the enemies. It warns them that the current and future generations may curse them and that Allah may condemn them for this on the Day of Judgement. The statement also urges the Arab leaders, the entire Muslim nation and all people of conscience in the world to take part in restoring Palestine to its rightful owners, since this is a religious and human duty, and to support the jihad of the Palestinian people against the occupiers.
The IUMS was founded in 2004 by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi, who also headed it until recently. Considered to be a major ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaradawi resides in Qatar and has been supported and sponsored for decades by the Qatari regime. He and his IUMS have promoted an extremist discourse, including rhetoric against Jews and Christians and encouragement of jihad and martyrdom.[1]
Dr. Ahmad Al-Raissouni has been head of the IUMS since November 2018. Upon his appointment, he told Al-Jazeera that Qatar has supported the IUMS since its inception and that Turkey now funds it as well, and said: "There is nothing wrong with that and we don't hide it. On the contrary, we are proud of it and we urge all the countries to follow in the footsteps of those two."[2] The IUMS under Al-Raissouni has continued to promote extremist discourse. For example, in April 2019 it called on Muslim preachers to encourage armed jihad against Israel.[3]
The following are excerpts from the IUMS statement on the Bahrain workshop:[4]
The IUMS statement as posted on the union's website (source: IUMSonline.org, June 23, 2019)
Arab Rulers Who Assist The Deal Of The Century Will Be Held Accountable By Allah
"It is with great concern and considerable sorrow that the International Union of Muslim Scholars has been following the rift, schism and internal war within the [Muslim] nation and the obvious plots... and the disgraceful steps taken against the [Palestinian] cause, Jerusalem and the blessed land of Palestine. As part of this, the U.S. has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the occupying state and is working to implement the so-called Deal of the Century.
"Instead of rejecting and objecting to this scheme we see some of the Arab leaders embracing it and competing [with one another] to serve the enemy by [providing] funds and [hosting] conferences, the latest of which is the [planned] Peace to Prosperity economic workshop in Bahrain...
"The International Union of Muslim Scholars... stresses that...:
"1. Allah's promise... – that the people of truth will triumph and that the right of the people of Palestine will be restored – is a true promise, while the promises of the Zionists, their allies and their helpers are false promises, and sooner or later we will see the Al-Aqsa mosque and the rest of the blessed occupied lands restored to their Palestinian owners. Therefore, we call upon the leaders of the nation – its peoples, clerics, intellectuals and media – and [upon all] other people worldwide who have a living conscience, to stand with the truth and assume the honor of taking part in restoring the stolen rights to their owners. This is a religious obligation incumbent upon all Muslims, and a patriotic national-Arab necessity, as well as a human obligation incumbent upon everyone who believes in truth and justice and distinguishes between the oppression of the tyrants and the suffering of the oppressed.
"2. Anyone who exults in his honor and religion cannot condone the sale of even one inch of his soil and his homeland, or a shred of his honor, strength or independence to the aggressive occupier, even for all the [bounty] of this world... Therefore, the International Union [of Muslim Scholars] warns those who are tempted to appease the occupiers and rush to give [them] money and [to host] conferences so they can realize their aspirations, that [none of this] will satisfy [the occupiers]. [The IUMS] also warns them of the torments of Allah, and that they will be held responsible when they stand before Allah [on Judgment Day] – as stated in [verse] 24 of Surah 37 [of the Quran]: 'And stop them; indeed, they are to be questioned' – and [warns them] of the curses of this generation and the generations to come.
"3. The union calls upon the Muslim nation and the regional and international institutions to side with the right of the Palestinian people, its struggle, and its jihad against the occupiers, which are legitimate according to [both] religious law and international law. This is so that [the Palestinian people] will regain its full right to establish its state on all its land, with Jerusalem as its capital.
"4. We strongly condemn the U.S. policy on Jerusalem and the Palestinian issue, and the imposition of its hegemony by forcing the Arab rulers to agree to forego Jerusalem and the right of the Palestinian people, in the guise of the so-called Deal of the Century and the Peace to Prosperity [workshop].
"We also strongly condemn the participation of any Arab or other country in the realization of these dangerous goals which are contrary to the Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic principles as well as to just and humane principles."
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 8000, International Union of Muslim Scholars, Which For Years Has Encouraged Jihad, Calls On The West To Prohibit The Discourse Of Hate, April 15, 2019.
[2] Aljazeera.net, November 18, 2018.
[3] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7984, International Union Of Muslim Scholars Urges Imams To Preach Armed Jihad Against Israel To Save Al-Aqsa, April 4, 2019.
[4] IUMSonline.org, June 23, 2019.
