https://www.memri.org/reports/faceb...n-muslim-scholars-iums-which-frequently-calls
On January 5, 2021, Facebook shut down the account of the International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is based in Doha and has been supported since its establishment by the Qatari and Turkish regimes.[1] The IUMS was founded in 2004 by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, a major ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood who lives in Qatar and has been sponsored by its regime for years. Al-Qaradhawi also headed the organization until 2018, when he was succeeded by Dr. Ahmad Al-Raissouni.
Neither Facebook nor the IUMS reported the exact reason for the closure of the account, but Arab media that support the IUMS stated that the reason was a fatwa posted two days earlier, on January 3, signed by the organization’s president Al-Raissouni and its secretary-general ‘Ali Al-Qaradaghi. The fatwa called for an economic boycott of Israel in response to the normalization agreements recently signed with it by several Arab states.[2] However, the closure was likely prompted not by the fatwa’s call to boycott Israel, but by its explicit call to wage jihad against it by any means. Similar materials supporting jihad and terrorism have been published by the IUMS for many years.
The IUMS condemned Facebook’s decision to shut down its account, which had over three million followers, attributing this to the organization’s insistence on “telling the truth and defending the just causes of our nation,” without mentioning any specific post that had prompted the closure. It’s statement on this matter says: “We were surprised to hear today that the justified positions of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and its support for the causes of our nation have prompted the closure of our Facebook page, after there have also been intensive efforts to hack our website… The Facebook authorities have retaliated against us just for telling the truth and defending the just causes of our nation in Palestine and elsewhere.” The statement informs the readers that a new Facebook account has been opened and urges them to follow it.[3]
Several days later, the new Facebook page posted a written statement and a video by IUMS president Al-Raissouni, in which he addresses all those who follow the organization the various media and social networks and thanks them for their support and solidarity. He promises that “the union will not succumb to the attempts to hobble or silence it and will continue to serve as a free platform for defending the causes of our nation.”[4]
It should be noted that the new Facebook page still features materials encouraging jihad. An example is an “Islamic Charter” that was posted on the organization’s website on January 20 and on the Facebook page one on January 22, which states that “waging jihad with the hand [i.e., by actual fighting], by paying money or with the tongue [i.e., by speaking]” is one of the ways to worship Allah.[5] An article about Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa by IUMS member Nawwaf Al-Takrouri, posted on the website on February 8 and on the Facebook page on February 12, says: “There is no doubt that jihad for the sake of Al-Aqsa has become a personal duty incumbent upon every Muslim man and woman all over the world, so as to liberate it and restore it to Muslim hands… The required jihad is broad, and goes beyond taking up arms and fighting the enemy or even preparing for battle [right there] on the pure soil of Jerusalem. It includes everything that serves this jihad and strengthens it. Fighting is no doubt the pinnacle [of jihad], but everyone must engage in jihad in one of the following ways: through the media, through politics, by recruiting people or by donating funds… The kinds of jihad are many, and every Muslim can [engage in] some of them while others are barred to him…”[6]
It should also be noted that, on February 13, Facebook also shut down the page of the Palestine Islamic Scholars Association, which likewise encourages jihad and martyrdom.[7] The head of the council is a member of the IUMS, Nawwaf Al-Takrouri, whose article in praise of jihad was mentioned above. The council’s public relations director, Hafez Al-Karmi, issued a statement condemning the closure of its Facebook page and describing it as part of “a systematic campaign in which Facebook is seeking to eliminate Palestinian content in the service of the Zionist enterprise.” Like the IUMS, the council also opened a new Facebook page to replace the one that had been shut down.[8]
On January 5, 2021, Facebook shut down the account of the International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is based in Doha and has been supported since its establishment by the Qatari and Turkish regimes.[1] The IUMS was founded in 2004 by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, a major ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood who lives in Qatar and has been sponsored by its regime for years. Al-Qaradhawi also headed the organization until 2018, when he was succeeded by Dr. Ahmad Al-Raissouni.
Neither Facebook nor the IUMS reported the exact reason for the closure of the account, but Arab media that support the IUMS stated that the reason was a fatwa posted two days earlier, on January 3, signed by the organization’s president Al-Raissouni and its secretary-general ‘Ali Al-Qaradaghi. The fatwa called for an economic boycott of Israel in response to the normalization agreements recently signed with it by several Arab states.[2] However, the closure was likely prompted not by the fatwa’s call to boycott Israel, but by its explicit call to wage jihad against it by any means. Similar materials supporting jihad and terrorism have been published by the IUMS for many years.
The IUMS condemned Facebook’s decision to shut down its account, which had over three million followers, attributing this to the organization’s insistence on “telling the truth and defending the just causes of our nation,” without mentioning any specific post that had prompted the closure. It’s statement on this matter says: “We were surprised to hear today that the justified positions of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and its support for the causes of our nation have prompted the closure of our Facebook page, after there have also been intensive efforts to hack our website… The Facebook authorities have retaliated against us just for telling the truth and defending the just causes of our nation in Palestine and elsewhere.” The statement informs the readers that a new Facebook account has been opened and urges them to follow it.[3]
Several days later, the new Facebook page posted a written statement and a video by IUMS president Al-Raissouni, in which he addresses all those who follow the organization the various media and social networks and thanks them for their support and solidarity. He promises that “the union will not succumb to the attempts to hobble or silence it and will continue to serve as a free platform for defending the causes of our nation.”[4]
It should be noted that the new Facebook page still features materials encouraging jihad. An example is an “Islamic Charter” that was posted on the organization’s website on January 20 and on the Facebook page one on January 22, which states that “waging jihad with the hand [i.e., by actual fighting], by paying money or with the tongue [i.e., by speaking]” is one of the ways to worship Allah.[5] An article about Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa by IUMS member Nawwaf Al-Takrouri, posted on the website on February 8 and on the Facebook page on February 12, says: “There is no doubt that jihad for the sake of Al-Aqsa has become a personal duty incumbent upon every Muslim man and woman all over the world, so as to liberate it and restore it to Muslim hands… The required jihad is broad, and goes beyond taking up arms and fighting the enemy or even preparing for battle [right there] on the pure soil of Jerusalem. It includes everything that serves this jihad and strengthens it. Fighting is no doubt the pinnacle [of jihad], but everyone must engage in jihad in one of the following ways: through the media, through politics, by recruiting people or by donating funds… The kinds of jihad are many, and every Muslim can [engage in] some of them while others are barred to him…”[6]
It should also be noted that, on February 13, Facebook also shut down the page of the Palestine Islamic Scholars Association, which likewise encourages jihad and martyrdom.[7] The head of the council is a member of the IUMS, Nawwaf Al-Takrouri, whose article in praise of jihad was mentioned above. The council’s public relations director, Hafez Al-Karmi, issued a statement condemning the closure of its Facebook page and describing it as part of “a systematic campaign in which Facebook is seeking to eliminate Palestinian content in the service of the Zionist enterprise.” Like the IUMS, the council also opened a new Facebook page to replace the one that had been shut down.[8]
