Terrorists take advantage of coronavirus

Mostafa Kamel

The Global Fatwa Index (GFI), affiliated to Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta and the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, said fatwas related to coronavirus accounted for 10 percent of total fatwas issued since the beginning of 2020.

The GFI said 40 percent of fatwas were issued by official authorities and the remainder was issued by some informal organizations. This proves that extremist and terrorist groups are trying to carry out their plots via the so-called fifth generation wars.

Moreover, some evil people are monopolizing some medicinal drugs as the coronavirus spreads worldwide. The GFI report said that the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organization along with some salafis are taking advantage of the epidemic to carry out their plots, linking the emergence of the coronavirus to the banning of Muslim veil at Egyptian institutions and universities, claiming that the epidemic is some divine punishment.

The GFI report said around 55 percent of fatwas issued by the Muslim Brotherhood and salafis about the coronavirus focused on the idea of divine punishment.

The GFI report said 30 percent of fatwas tackled the cancelation of hajj and umrah, and 20 percent dealt with the Friday prayers. The fear prayer accounted for 19 percent.

A total 17 percent of fatwas tackled the reporting of coronavirus cases. Monopolizing commodities and price hikes accounted for11 percent.  The GFI said 69 percent of fatwas focused on worship.

Meanwhile, informal fatwas focused on a number of themes, considering those who died of the coronavirus as martyrs. The fatwas also banned escape from quarantine, as well as the mingling of infected people with others.

The fatwas also banned gatherings of people and related the virus to the Day of Judgment.

Souad Saleh, a leading Muslim scholar, issued a fatwa considering who died of coronavirus as a martyr.

Tunisian website Nour al-Islam issued a fatwa disapproving of leaving a country where there’s an epidemic.

Sheikh Ahmed Karima said the coronavirus has nothing to do with Allah’s anger at people.  Sheikh Saleh al Maghamsy in Medina, Saudi Arabia, said the coronavirus has connotations with some of the Prophet Mohamed’s hadiths about the Day of Judgment.