Banning Emiratis from praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque: Al Azhar shuns Palestinian fatwa

CAIRO: A grand scholar at Al Azhar Al Sharif, Egypt’s renowned Islamic institution, has rejected a fatwa by Palestine’s Al Quds Mufti where he forbids the Emirati people from praying in Al Aqsa Mosque following the UAE-Israeli peace treaty, foreign media reported.

“As a specialist in Islamic Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) I can’t find any religious justification for declaring as haram (forbidden) the worship of any Muslim people in any mosque all over the world based on a political stance taken by these people’s leadership. I reject any religious fatwa that is not based on Shariah-compliant rules,” said Dr Abbas Shuman, a member of Al Azhar’s Committee of Senior Scholars.

“I’m not here defending the UAE’s decision, nor interfering in its political stance, which is solely determined by its leaders. I’m only dismissing that fatwa as biased as it has no legal sanction and cannot be enforced.

“Turkey has been maintaining normal relations with Israel since 1949 and was the first Islamic nation to recognise Israel. Turkey and Israel enjoy even economic and defence cooperation which far exceeds normalisation of relations; and nonetheless, we have not heard - and we don’t want to hear - any Palestinian fatwa banning Turks from praying in Al Aqsa.

“Neither have we heard any Palestinian fatwa banning Qataris from praying in Al Aqsa, and likewise, we don’t want to hear, though Qatar enjoys commercial relations with Israel,” Shuman explained.