Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, Iran’s highest Shia cleric, has issued a strong fatwa against US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In this fatwa, both the leaders have been declared ‘enemies of God’ and an appeal has been made to the Muslims all over the world to unite and overthrow them. The fatwa comes in response to threats against the Islamic regime of Iran, which recently fought a 12-day war with Israel and the United States.
“Any person or government that threatens our leader or marja (religious leader) will be considered a ‘moharebeh’ (warrior against God),” Ayatollah Makarem said, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency. Under Iranian law, a ‘mohareh’ can be punished with death, crucifixion, mutilation or deportation. The fatwa states that it is the duty of every Muslim to make these ‘enemies’ regret their statements and mistakes. It also adds that it is haram for any Muslim country or person to support these enemies.
According to the fatwa, if any Muslim faces hardships or suffers losses in this so-called jihad, he will be rewarded in heaven as a ‘fighter in the way of God’.This fatwa comes after the 12-day war that began on June 13. Israel bombed Iran, killing top Iranian military commanders and scientists involved in the nuclear program. In response, Iran attacked Israeli cities with ballistic missiles.
This is not the first time that Iranian clerics have issued a fatwa against someone. The most famous case was in 1989, when a fatwa was issued against author Salman Rushdie for calling his book ‘The Satanic Verses’ offensive.It is an interpretation of Islamic law, issued by the highest cleric of the Shia community. It applies to all Muslims, whether individuals or Islamic governments, and it is considered their duty to implement it.