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Speaking on Sudania 24 TV on February 8, Sudanese Islamic scholar Yousuf Al-Koda said that "from the perspective of the shari'a, there is nothing to prevent normalization [of ties with Israel]," recalling the Hudaibiya agreement that the Prophet Muhammad had signed with people of Mecca. Al-Koda, a former member of the Sudan Scholar Organization and currently the head of the Islamic Wasat Party, made similar statements in a conference titled "On [Religious] Awakening and Dialogue," held in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on February 6. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6776, Sudanese Cleric: Islamic Shari'a Permits Normalizing Relations With Israel, February 9, 2017.
Yousuf Al-Koda: The fact that the Kaaba was under the control of the polytheists did not prevent the signing of Treaty of Hudaibiya with them. So the fact that Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem are under the control of the Jews should not prevent me from doing the same with them.
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First of all, normalization of ties with any party... I am talking about Palestine - or rather, Israel - for a reason, but it is true of normalization with the U.S., Russia, or any other country. Normalization means stability. It means peace. There can be no progress or development without stability and peace.
Interviewer: Did normalization bring stability to Egypt?
Yousuf Al-Koda: Let me answer your question. You asked about Egypt's stability... Never mind, this point requires elaboration.
Interviewer: As I understand it, this entire discussion hinges on the issue of interests.
Yousuf Al-Koda: True.
Interviewer: We look at all the countries that normalized their ties with Israel - Jordan and all the other countries - and examine in what way it benefitted them. But when you consider this from the religious perspective, and tell people to normalize their relations with Israel on religious grounds... Well, that is a mistake.
Yousuf Al-Koda: In what way is it a mistake? It's not a political matter...
Interviewer: I'm not talking about politics. Do you really think that religion has nothing to do with interests? Religion is based entirely on interests.
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From the perspective of the shari'a, there is nothing to prevent normalization.
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