This year's Eid Al-Adha sermon at the London Central Mosque, located adjacent to Regent's Park in central London, was delivered on June 19, 2024, by Jassem bin Muhammad Al-Jaber, a member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) and the former chairman of the union's Studies and Fatwa Committee. Al-Jaber is also on the faculty of Qatar's police academy.
The IUMS, founded and supported by Qatar, is known to promote incitement to jihad and terrorism, and Al-Jaber has expressed support for jihad and armed resistance regarding occupation in Palestine and elsewhere.
This report reviews examples of IUMS extremist positions including over the past year, and Al-Jaber's support for two communiques in support of jihad and armed resistance:
Supported And Funded By Qatar, The IUMS Consistently Promotes An Extremist Discourse Of Hatred And Incitement
The IUMS, which is supported and funded by Qatar, consistently promotes an extremist discourse of hatred, incitement, calls for jihad and martyrdom, and the encouragement of armed struggle against Israel.[1] The union, its founder Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi,[2] and its current members are also known for virulent antisemitic, homophobic and anti-Western rhetoric.[3] Al-Qaradawi was in fact banned from several Western states, including the U.S., Britain, and France, due to his incitement to terror.
Moreover, since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack in Southern Israel, in which some 1,400 Israelis were murdered and about 240 were taken hostage, the IUMS and its members have made numerous statements in support of Hamas and its attack. On October 7 itself, the union issued a statement describing the attack as an "effective" and "mandatory development of legitimate resistance, " adding that the Muslims have a religious duty to help their brothers and sisters "throughout Palestine, especially in Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, and Gaza."[4]On October 31, 2023, the IUMS issued a fatwa obligating Palestinians in the West Bank and within the 1948 borders, as well as Israel's neighbors and all Arab and Muslim countries, to intervene militarily on behalf of Gaza.[5]On October 26, 2023, it republished an article by a senior Hamas official envisioning a takeover of the Gaza border region and the Israeli city of Ashkelon in preparation for the full liberation of Palestine.[6] And in early December 2023, an IUMS delegation met with Taliban ministers in Kabul and asserted that, just as the mujahideen of the [Taliban's] Islamic emirate have achieved success against the world's great powers, the Palestinians, with their strong will, can definitely win the Gaza war against Israel.[7]
Al-Jaber delivering the sermon at the London Central Mosque (Image: Al-Arab, Qatar, June 21, 2024)
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Communique Signed By Al-Jaber: Never Abandon Resistance Or Call It 'Terrorism'; The Zionist Entity Has No Right To Exist, Jihad Against It Is A Duty
Jassem bin Muhammad Al-Jaber is known for supporting jihad and armed resistance. On June 10, 2017, he was one of 100 clerics who issued a communique against the boycott imposed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt on Qatar. One of the reasons for the boycott was Qatar's support of terror and especially its support of terror organizations that call themselves "resistance" movements, such as Hamas. The communique stated that "resistance to occupation in Palestine and elsewhere is a right acknowledged by all religions and laws, and must not be abandoned or referred to as terror." It added that "defining [resistance] as a crime is treason against the Islamic nation and the religion." The communique also criticized the attempts to designate various clerics as terror supporters, chief among them Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradwi, who is known for supporting terrorism and even permitting suicide operations. The communique called these attempts "flagrant aggression against the successors of the prophets who illuminate [our] path."[8]
Several months later, Al-Jaber signed a communique against normalization with Israel. This document stated that, according to the Islamic shari'a, the Zionist entity has no right to exist and jihad against the occupation is a duty. It added that "the Zionist entity [i.e. Israel] "is nonexistent de jure and was established through force and terrorism," and that "resistance against it, including armed resistance, is a right acknowledged by the international norms and laws." The text went on to say that "the Zionist entity's de-facto existence and [the fact that] some elements have normalized relations with it, secretly or openly… do not obviate the duty of jihad and resistance against it."[9]
[1] On the IUMS' extremist discourse and support for terrorism, see MEMRI Reports: Special Dispatch No. 10557, Qatar-Funded And Operated International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) And Hamas Leaders In Qatar Call Palestinians To I'tikaf In Al-Aqsa Mosque With Intention Of Waging Jihad Prior To April 5 Clashes, Declare April 7 As 'Day Of Rage', April 7, 2023; Special Dispatch No. 10553 - Member Of The International Union Of Muslim Scholars: Muslims Must Liberate Al-Aqsa By Any Means; It Is The Blood Of The Jihad Fighters That Lights The Flame Of Al-Aqsa; The Day Of Judgement Will Come When The Muslims Fight And Kill The Jews – April 5, 2023; Special Dispatch No. 10464 - International Union Of Muslim Clerics (IUMS) Member: The Jerusalem Terrorist Who Killed Seven Civilians Is A 'Hero' And A 'Role Model'; The Quran Explicitly Calls To Wage Jihad For The Sake Of Allah – February 6, 2023; Special Dispatch No. 10356 - Youssef Al-Qaradawi's Successor Ali Al-Qaradaghi Shares Mentor's Hardline Views And Positions On West, Christianity, And Jihad, Actively Promotes Muslim Brotherhood Ideology To Millions Of People On Multiple Platforms – May 12, 2022; Special Dispatch No. 8830 - International Union Of Muslim Scholars, Backed By Qatar And Turkey, Calls For Jihad And Self-Sacrifice To Foil Israel’s Plan To Annex Parts Of The West Bank – July 6, 2020; Special Dispatch No. 7984 - International Union Of Muslim Scholars Urges Imams To Preach Armed Jihad Against Israel To Save Al-Aqsa – April 4, 2019; Special Dispatch No. 8135 - International Union Of Muslim Scholars, Supported By Qatar, Calls To Boycott Bahrain Conference On Deal Of The Century, Support Palestinians' Jihad – June 24, 2019; and Special Dispatch No. 7264 - Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi Calls For Resistance, Jihad And Martyrdom Following Trump's Recognition Of Jerusalem As Israel's Capital – January 4, 2018.
[2] On Al-Qaradhawi see MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1652 - Al-Qaradawi: Qatar's Islamist Empire Builder – October 3, 2022; Special Dispatch No. 447 - Leading Sunni Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi and Other Sheikhs Herald the Coming Conquest of Rome – December 6, 2002.
[3] On antisemitic rhetoric by the IUMS and its members, see MEMRI Reports: Special Dispatch No. 9073 - Senior Member Of International Union Of Muslim Scholars In Antisemitic Article Against Normalization With Israel: Muhammad Expelled The Jews From His Territory By Force - December 7, 2020; Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1500 - Muslim World League's Historic Auschwitz Visit Draws Support From Saudi Arabia, Condemnation From Qatar - January 30, 2020; Special Dispatch No. 8083 - Dr. Ahmed Al-Raissouni, Head Of The International Union Of Muslim Scholars Which Was Founded By Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi In Dublin: Questioning The Holocaust Is Not Just A Right But An Obligation – May 23, 2019; Clip No. 2005 – Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradawi: Allah Imposed Hitler upon the Jews to Punish Them - 'Allah Willing, the Next Time Will Be at the Hand of the Believers'- January 18, 2019; Special Dispatch No. 8158 - International Union Of Muslim Scholars Head: The True Victims Of Antisemitism Today Are Islam And The Muslims – July 8, 2019; Special Dispatch No. 5298 - Saudi Professor And IUMS Member Tareq Hawwas In Antisemitic Diatribe: 'If Only Hitler Had Finished Them Off' – May 10, 2013; Clip No. 3832 - IUMS Member Tareq Hawwas in Antisemitic Diatribe: "If Only Hitler Had Finished Them Off" – April 18, 2013; Clip No. 5297 - Palestinian Scholar Samir Said: The Jews Have a Criminal, Satanic Nature and Are the Enemies of Mankind – January 21, 2016; Special Dispatch No. 5069 - Muslim Brotherhood On Operation Pillar Of Defense: Antisemitic Statements, Calls For Jihad Against Israel – November 28, 2012;
On anti-Christian and anti-Western rhetoric, see MEMRI Reports: Special Dispatch No. 8974 - Secretary-General Of International Union of Muslim Scholars, 'Ali Al-Qaradaghi, Resumes Jihadi Incitement: Claims Murder Of French Teacher Was Staged By French Authorities And Real Killer Is Still Alive – October 20, 2020; Special Dispatch No. 8985 - Days After International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Posts, On Its Website, Article By IUMS Secretary-General Claiming French Teacher's Beheading Was Staged By French Authorities, IUMS Removes It – Along With Articles Inciting Against President Macron – October 22, 2020; Clip No. 7309 - IUMS Sheikh Sameer Saeed to Cape Town Mosque Congregation: You Will Be the Muslim Army to Protect Jerusalem; We Will Fight the Jews and Christians in the End Times – June 14, 2019; >Special Dispatch No. 8076 - Ramadan Religious Lesson By Muslim Brotherhood Spiritual Leader Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi, Published By Qatari Government Daily: The Jews Opposed Muhammad, Therefore Allah Cursed Them And Turned Them Into Apes And Pigs; The Christians Were Stricken With Ideological Blindness And Strayed – May 21, 2019;
Special Dispatch No. 4975 - International Union Of Muslim Scholars: The Pope Must Apologize To The Muslims – September 25, 2012; and Special Dispatch No. 2662 - Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Explains His Objections to Muslim-Christian Interfaith Dialogue –November 30, 2009;
[4] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 10836, In Statement, Qatar-Based And Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Calls 'Al-Aqsa Storm' Operation An 'Effective' And 'Mandatory Development Of Legitimate Resistance,' States: Muslims Must Support Their Brothers In Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem And Gaza, October 8, 2023.
[5] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 10927 - Qatar-Based And -Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Issues Fatwa Calling For Military Intervention By Arab And Muslim Countries Against Israel And For Gaza – November 1, 2023; MEMRI TV Clip No. 10599 - Qatar-Based International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Issues Fatwa Obligating Palestinians In West Bank And Within 1948 Borders, Israel's Neighbors, All Arab And Muslim Countries To Intervene Militarily On Behalf Of Gaza – October 31, 2023.
[6] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 10925 - Qatar-Based And Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Publishes Old Article By Senior Hamas Official Describing Takeover Of Gaza Border Region, Israeli City Of Ashkelon, In Preparation For Liberation Of Palestine And Realization Of Prophetic Promise - November 1, 2023.
[7] See MEMRI Daily Brief No. 554 - Qatar-Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Delegation Meets With Taliban Ministers In Kabul: 'The Islamic Emirate's Mujahideen Achieved Success Against The World's Great Powers – Similarly The Palestinians, With Their Strong Will, Will Definitely Win This War' Against Israel – December 13, 2023.
[8] Arabi21.com, June 10, 2017.
[9] Rabtasunna.com, December 18, 2017.
