Jordanian Jihadi Cleric Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi Condemns Saudi Writer Turki Al-Hamad For Tweeting 'All Religions Lead To Allah,' Calls It 'Act Of Unbelief,' Cites Death Fatwa On Him

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM).

On May 7, 2020, prominent Jordanian Salafi-jihadi ideologue Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi published a post on Telegram[1] condemning prominent Saudi writer Turki Al-Hamad for tweeting that "all religions lead to Allah." Al-Maqdisi called the statement a "clear act of unbelief" and recalled a fatwa calling for Al-Hamad's death issued by the radical Saudi cleric Hamoud Al-Shu'aybi, who died in 2001.

Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, the prominent Jordan-based sheikh and spiritual mentor of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the man who founded the Al-Qaeda offshoot that would later become ISIS, posted a series of messages on his Telegram channel, which has almost 5,000 subscribers. Al-Maqdisi shared a screenshot of Al-Hamad's tweet, in which he said: "If all roads lead to Rome, all religions lead to Allah. Different ways and one Lord." Commenting on the tweet, Al-Maqdisi wrote: "Even the Jews and the Christians don't agree with this clear act of unbelief and they don't acknowledge that our God and their God are one and they don't believe that the roads leading to him are one. They reject the beliefs of all religions and they consider theirs to be the only one leading to the Lord."

After referring to the tweet as "a clear act of apostacy," Al-Maqdisi condemned Saudi Arabia, saying that its laws protect Al-Hamad, whom he described as an "apostate." Al-Maqdisi concluded his post by writing: "My Allah have mercy on sheikh Al-Shu'aybi, who knew [Al-Hamad's] true nature long time ago and deemed him to be unbeliever and said he must be killed and not offered a chance to repent."

FOR MORE MEMRI REPORTS ON SAUDI AUTHOR TURKI AL-HAMAD SEE THE FOLLOWING:

• Fighting A Culture Of Illusion: The Long Struggle Of Dr. Turki Al-Hamad, October 5, 2016.

• Saudi Intellectual: The Palestinians Forfeited An Important Opportunity By Boycotting Bahrain Economic Workshop, July 2, 2019.

• Liberal Saudi Author Turki Al-Hamad: Our Society Has Been Hijacked, but Liberalism Will Prevail, January 22, 2017.

• Saudi Author Turki Al-Hamad: ISIS Reaps What We Have Sown, November 13, 2015.

• Saudi Author Turki Al-Hamad: Islam Needs a Luther, a Calvin; Ideology of Most Clerics Is ISIS-Like, July 13, 2015.

• Saudi Author Turki Al-Hamad: Our Youth Are Brainwashed; We Must Dry Up ISIS Ideology at the Source, July 13, 2015.

• Reformist Saudi Intellectual Turki Al-Hamad: I'm "Pessimistic About the Possibility of Making Real Changes", April 9, 2008.

• Liberal Saudi Journalist Turki Al-Hamad: Extremism Emerges from Official Saudi Institutions, August 25, 2004.