A leading Qatar-based cleric declared in a religious edict, or fatwa, on Saturday that Egyptians should support ousted President Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood and the military should withdraw from the political scene.
Egyptian-born Youssef al-Qaradawi, one of the most prominent Sunni clerics in the Middle East, said in the fatwa posted on his website that the military's intervention to depose Mursi on Wednesday was against democracy and the constitution.
“Doctor al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa on the necessity to support the elected Egyptian president Mohammed Mursi, and to retain the constitution... and calling on [armed forces chief Abdel Fatah] al-Sisi and those with him to withdraw to preserve legitimacy and democracy,” the posting said.
He said many scholars from Cairo’s al-Azhar Islamic university, Egypt's pre-eminent Muslim institution, agreed with him.
Mursi was elected last summer, a year after long-time strongman Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular revolt with the aid of the military. The Muslim Brotherhood was banned in Egypt during Mubarak’s rule.
At least 24 people were killed on Friday when supporters of Mursi protested across the country at Wednesday’s coup and the subsequent detention of Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
Qaradawi, chairman of the International Federation of Muslim Scholars, has been a vociferous supporter of the revolutions that roiled Arab countries in 2011. Last month he called for a holy war in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad.

Leading Sunni cleric says in fatwa Egyptians should back Mursi

Leading Qatar-based cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa that Egyptians should support ousted Islamist President Mohammed Mursi. (File photo: Reuters)
Reuters, Riyadh
Saturday 06 July 2013
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:40 - GMT 06:40
DAY | WEEK |
-
22491 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
15551 Views Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest 3 trillion riyals over next 10 years: Crown Prince
-
7576 Views Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issues several new royal decrees
-
6158 Views Full moon to align directly above Kaaba in Mecca on Jan. 28
-
3475 Views Coronavirus: Dubai’s new restrictions disappoint hospitals; entertainers struggle on
-
1766 Views US will help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks on its territory: State Department
-
22491 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
19259 Views Coronavirus: Number of new UAE COVID-19 cases reaches record high
-
16828 Views Airstrikes pound Iran-backed militias south of Iraq’s Baghdad: Reports
-
10936 Views Coronavirus: Dubai orders hospitals to cancel surgeries amid surge in COVID-19 cases
-
8259 Views Coronavirus: Dubai suspends live entertainment permits as COVID-19 cases surge
-
7910 Views Coronavirus: Dubai's latest COVID-19 rules for weddings, restaurants, gyms, concerts
SHOW MORE