Despite the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip — now surpassing 560 days and resulting in over 51,000 martyrs and 116,000 injured — the conflicting fatwas issued by religious authorities across the Arab and Islamic worlds regarding the course of the war continue unabated.

This controversy, both complex and polarising, has involved prominent religious institutions, preachers, and well-known religious figures. It has fuelled widespread debate across media and social media platforms, ultimately contributing to further division and compounding the suffering of Gazans.

This “flood of fatwas” surprised many — not in their number, but in the stark contradictions between them, the diversity of opinions, and the varying interpretations of the Palestinian right to resist, the legitimacy of self-defence, and the efficacy of the 7 October 2023 offensive.

Perhaps the most controversial and provocative fatwa came from Egyptian Salafi preacher Yasser Barhami, who blamed the people of Gaza for the war, claiming they initiated it unilaterally and only consulted Iran, excluding other Islamic nations. He argued that “the Palestinian resistance has not served the cause; this is not resistance and has done nothing for Al-Aqsa — it has only ruined the country,” in his words.

Barhami further inflamed the debate by suggesting that any intent by Egypt to wage war must be preceded by notifying Israel of officially annulling the 1979 Camp David peace treaty.

The timing of Barhami’s fatwa — given that the war has raged for over a year and a half — raised suspicions about possible pressure from higher authorities, according to Egyptian political analyst and academic Dr. Mohamed Abdel Hafiz.

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Egypt’s Dar........

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