Palestinian Cleric Nasser Maarouf: A Martyr Killed by Jews Receives a Double Reward; Jihad must be Continued, Abandoning It Causes Discord

Sheikh Nasser Maarouf of  the Palestine Islamic Scholars Association said that that Palestinian mujahideen have the advantage of waging Jihad against the Jews. He said that a martyr killed by the Jews receives twice the reward of one who was killed by other infidels, and he explained that Allah had turned the Jews into apes and pigs because He hated them. Giving the examples of India, Africa, and medieval Spain, Maarouf said that the abandonment of Jihad causes discord and corruption of faith. He said that Jihad is necessary because it is the nature of Allah's enemies to fight Muslims. Sheikh Maarouf spoke on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas-Gaza) on December 2, 2018.

Following are excerpts:

Sheikh Nasser Maarouf: The mujahideen have two advantages. The first advantage is that they are [operating] in a blessed land of ribat, and the second advantage is that they are waging Jihad against Jews. The Prophet Muhammad informed us that a martyr killed by the People of the Book is equal to two martyrs. In other words, his reward is equal to that of two martyrs. This does not apply to martyrs killed fighting other infidels. "The People of the Book" are the Jews. In addition, Allah tells us that He cursed [the Jews], and that He was angry with them and turned them into apes and pigs. Allah hates and curses [such] people, and He loves people who confront the falsehood of those He hates just as much. The land of Palestine has the advantage that no one doubts the Jihad in it, like they do with regard to the Jihad in other countries of the region. We fight the Jews and we demand the return of what they came and plundered from us.

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See what is happening in India and Africa. See how the Muslims are fought against and are forced to abandon their faith. See what happened in Spain [in the Middle Ages], where the Muslims were converting to Christianity. Is this not discord? The abandoning of Jihad leads to discord and corrupts people's faith, and with Jihad, this faith is restored. Jihad is necessary because the enemies of Allah will never cease fighting the people. It's in their nature.

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Of course, Islam is a religion of peace. Fighting does not mean killing. There is a difference between fighting people and killing people. "Killing" means that I should kill you unless you convert to Islam, but Allah said that there is no coercion in matters of religion.