Islamic Law calls for the killing of opponents of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, a PA minister has said.
Mahmoud al-Habbash, PA minister of Islamic endowments, said that Islam calls for the elimination of those who oppose the rule of the legitimate leader of Palestine. Hamas, the Islamist movement that governs the Gaza Strip, has damaged Palestinian unity, al-Habbash said in an interview yesterday with media host Rola Kharsa of satellite channel Al-Hayat.
The minister argued that his statements complied with the instructions of the Prophet Mohamed, who ordered the killing of dissenters that harm the unity of Muslims under the rule of one political leader. Al-Habbash, who challenged Hamas to respond to his argument, said he was citing a genuine rule of Islam, declaring that the preservation of unity was more important than fighting the enemy.
The minister called on Hamas to abide by the popular will and respect the results of the ballot box, although he neglected to mention the fact that Hamas won a landslide victory in democratically-held Palestinian legislative elections in early 2006.
Al-Habbash also reiterated Fatah’s approval of an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement, which Hamas has rejected as one-sided.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
