A Palestinian Islamic scholar has issued a legal edict to denounce Hamas ‘ assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. The actions of Hamas were condemned by the Salaman al-Dayah Fatwa because they caused damage to Israeli and Gazan civilians and violated Muslim principles that govern jihad.
The name” jihad” is applied to the spiritual struggle for self-improvement, as well as military combat. In times of conflict, jihad rules strictly prohibit damage to civilians, including women and children.
According to reports from BBC News, Dayah has connections to the Salafi action in Gaza and is one of the country’s most revered religious authorities. A branch of Islam called Salafism aspires to imitate the ways the Prophet Mohammed and his supporters practice. Dayah appears to be a pragmatist from the Salafism’s “quietist” custom, which shuns social engagement.
However, Dayah has a history of intermediate in politics. He criticized the Hamas-brokered organization The Army of Islam for the abduction of English BBC blogger Alan Johnston in a judgment in 2007. He eventually chaired the spiritual intervention council that secured Johnston’s release.
More recently, in May 2024, Dayah signed an open letter calling for opposition against the Jewish loss of Arab institutions. Despite the devastation and forced removal of numerous residents by Israeli troops, accounts suggest he still resides in northeastern Gaza.
For at least three factors, this judgment is important. Second, the ruling suggests divided mind about Hamas’s steps among Gaza’s people of 2.2 million. Next, the judgment is the most recent attempt by well-known Islamic scholars to create a counterterrorism strategy grounded in religious instruction. Third, the criticism of the September 7 attacks raises the question of whether criticism of Hamas, a group that is considered a criminal by the US and UK governments, could undermine efforts to bring justice and wealth to all Palestinians.
Within the 5.2 million people of Gaza and the West Bank, over 99 % of Muslims identify as Sunni. Sunnis are Islam’s largest religion, making up between 84 % and 87 % of the worldwide Muslim community.
Not even 1 % of Muslims in Gaza and the West Bank identify as Shia, the second-largest denomination, which makes up around 10 % to 13 % of all Muslims globally. These populations are crucial: Despite the overwhelming majority of Palestinians being Sunni, Hamas receives financial and military aid from Iran, a Shia-majority land. Iran is home to around one-third of the country’s Shia Muslims.
Dayah, as a Salafi, is part of the larger Sunni traditions. His judgment may be related to his attempt to restate Sunnism or Salafism in Gaza by dividing the country’s citizens over their help for Hamas and its relationships to Shia-ruled Iran.
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research ( CPSR ) think tank’s findings provide insight into the existence of these divisions. Although the situation is complicated and unexpected, one statistic jump out when asked in September 2024 whether Hamas had committed the crimes against Israelis that the international media covered, including the death of women and children, 89 % of residents of the Gaza Strip and West Bank responded that it had not. Only 8 % said it did.
Positive attitudes are declining in spite of this idea, and while some Hamas supporters still have strong support among Gaza’s residents. In accordance with the same survey, 39 % of Hamas’s decision to launch its October 7 offensive had fallen to 39 % by September, compared to 71 % in March 2024. 80 % of people in that quarter said at least one family member had been injured or killed while 85 % said they had moved “from one house to another” between two and six days.
Asked who will emerge victorious, 28 % of Gazans said Hamas, 25 % thought Israel, and 45 % replied “none of them”. Hamas ‘ support for continuing to rule Gaza decreased from 46 % in June 2024 to 36 % in September, and 37 % of Gazans think the organization will retain control of the area after the war.
In Gaza, there have been a few sporadic accounts of “despise” Hamas supporters who are too afraid to speak up. The BBC reported that Hamas was causing a sizable open outcry in July 2024.
The difficulties of Hamas criticism
Dayah’s judgment builds on earlier attempts by renowned Islamic scholars to create theories rooted in Islamic teaching.
In 2010, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri– a popular Pakistani professor and spiritual leader – published a 600-page Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings. Qadri’s text is an emphatic attack on assault and terrorism. Qadri items to the strict prohibition against the loss of places of worship and other structures in the wake of World War II, as well as Dayah.
The Global Imams Council, which holds Hamas “directly responsible for the deaths and suffering of all innocent lives lost since October 7 ), even issued a criticism of Hamas.
There are clear perceptions present. In the wake of October 7, UK officials from all functions were unfavorable to refer to Hamas as “terrorists.” On the other hand, the BBC has kept its rigid definition of “avoiding” the term.
Some see Hamas’s control of Gaza as a consequence of Israel’s employment of Israeli territory. António Guterres, UN secretary general, was critical of Hamas ‘ claim that the problems “did not take place in a vacuum” and that” the Arab people have been enduring stifling activity for 56 years.” Some criticize Hamas ‘ crimes, while not talking about Israel’s lack of proportion.
Regardless of where northern sympathies are, the fatwa and the behaviour of Gazans, as revealed by research data, serve as reminders that Muslim beliefs and beliefs do not coexist in a single unified block. Palestinians living in Gaza and different areas of the region obviously have a different viewpoint.
The Muslim idea of a global community – or “ummah” ‘ – is essential for millions of people. However, the data rejects the idea that Muslims can think and act in harmony everyday. These prejudices are most likely to promote harmful myths that can perpetuate prejudice in the Middle East and abroad.
Julian Hargreaves is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Criminology, City St George’s, University of London.
The Conversation has republished this essay under a Creative Commons license. Read the original post. Hamas is described by The Conversation as a violent Islamist organization and is referenced by the UK and US institutions as a terrorist organization.