Periodical Review: Fatwas – May - June 2012

This This review reports the main fatwas [religious-legal rulings] issued in May and June 2012, in response to readers’ questions, by Minbar Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, the Web site of Salafist ideologue Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi.
Highlights:

1. In Syria and in Libya, jihadist scholars categorically rule that one may join any militia that is fighting to overthrow the regime – even if the militia is not Islamist, and even if one must pretend to agree with the militia’s ideology.
2. Participation in any democratic election is prohibited – even if the mujahideen might win.
3. Given the window of opportunity opened by the
Arab Spring, one should focus on da’wa [missionary work], and not oppose the regime.
4. Anyone who joins a jihadist group must swear an oath of loyalty [bay’ah] to its leader.
5. The most important arenas of jihad are Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and every able-bodied Muslim must hasten to them.
6. The fighting in Syria is defensive jihad, an obligation for all able-bodied Muslims, for which no authorization is needed. People.