Muslim religious leaders issue open letter to Al-Baghdadi and ISIS
The following open letter has been issued by Muslim religious leaders to Ibrahim Awwad Al-Badri, alias ‘Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi’, and to the fighters and followers of the self-declared ‘Islamic State.’
Executive Summary
1- It is forbidden in Islam to issue fatwas without all the necessary learning requirements. Even
then fatwas must follow Islamic legal theory as defined in the Classical texts. It is also
forbidden to cite a portion of a verse from the Qur’an—or part of a verse—to derive a ruling
without looking at everything that the Qur’an and Hadith teach related to that matter. In other
words, there are strict subjective and objective prerequisites for fatwas, and one cannot ‘cherry-
pick’ Qur’anic verses for legal arguments without considering the entire Qur’an and Hadith.
2- It is forbidden in Islam to issue legal rulings about anything without mastery of the Arabic
language.
3- It is forbidden in Islam to oversimplify Shari’ah matters and ignore established Islamic
sciences.
4- It is permissible in Islam [for scholars] to differ on any matter, except those fundamentals of
religion that all Muslims must know.
5- It is forbidden in Islam to ignore the reality of contemporary times when deriving legal rulings.
6- It is forbidden in Islam to kill the innocent.
7- It is forbidden in Islam to kill emissaries, ambassadors, and diplomats; hence it is forbidden to
kill journalists and aid workers.
8- Jihad in Islam is defensive war. It is not permissible without the right cause, the right purpose
and without the right rules of conduct.
9- It is forbidden in Islam to declare people non-Muslim unless he (or she) openly declares
disbelief.
10- It is forbidden in Islam to harm or mistreat—in any way—Christians or any ‘People of the
Scripture’.
11- It is obligatory to consider Yazidis as People of the Scripture.
12- The re-introduction of slavery is forbidden in Islam. It was abolished by universal consensus.
13- It is forbidden in Islam to force people to convert.
14- It is forbidden in Islam to deny women their rights.
15- It is forbidden in Islam to deny children their rights.
16- It is forbidden in Islam to enact legal punishments (hudud) without following the correct
procedures that ensure justice and mercy.
17- It is forbidden in Islam to torture people.
18- It is forbidden in Islam to disfigure the dead.
19- It is forbidden in Islam to attribute evil acts to God ..
20- It is forbidden in Islam to destroy the graves and shrines of Prophets and Companions.
21- Armed insurrection is forbidden in Islam for any reason other than clear disbelief by the ruler
and not allowing people to pray.
22- It is forbidden in Islam to declare a caliphate without consensus from all Muslims.
23- Loyalty to one’s nation is permissible in Islam.
24- After the death of the Prophet ., Islam does not require anyone to emigrate anywhere.