Praise is due to Allāh, Lord of the worlds, may the blessings and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, the last of prophets, on his family, and all his companions.

The Secretariat General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, which is subsidiary organ of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and is widely represented by scholars of the Ummah and its jurisconsults within and outside the Muslim world, has followed what has been reported by the various media, including the Zionist media, which is responsible for the disrespect shown to the Messiah and his mother, Virgin Mary, peace be upon them.

On behalf of its scholars and jurisconsults, the Secretariat General of the Academy strongly condemns these misdeeds based on the Muslims’ belief in the prophethood of the Messiah, his high rank as a messenger to Allah, and the great nobility of his truthful mother, peace be upon her, as well as their belief in all the prophets and messengers, peace be upon them. Therefore, any disrespect to any prophet or messenger is considered to be a departure from Islam, regardless of who is responsible for the misdeed, without any exception. The Almighty says in this regard:

« The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.” » Al-Baqara -285

He also said, « The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a supporter of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make clear to them the signs; then look how they are deluded. » Al-Ma’ida -75

Another verse: « And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, “O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, “This is obvious magic.” » As-Saff -6

« And [mention] when the angels said, “O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds. (42) O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow [in prayer].” » Aal-i-Imran -42-43

It is not acceptable to hide under the pretext of freedom of expression because such disrespect is not part of it. It is important to respect another human and not to harm him or her, otherwise, there would be disorder, which is the basic principle of relations between states and peoples. In reality, these acts are nothing but affronts to the sacred areas of all religions, just as they are an offence to the feelings of believers for these religions. The purpose of all this is nothing other than to destroy religious and moral values in order to corrupt society.

This is nothing but a ferocious aggression against religions, their symbols and their sacred aspects, just as it was against our Prophet Mohammad, upon him the highest blessings and peace. It was also the case with the film Fitna, made by the despicable Dutch MP Geert Wilders

All these misdeeds should be described once again as criminal offences by the United Nations and various countries’ laws to punish anyone who would allow himself to undermine religions and their symbols. The protection of religions and their symbols is the best guarantee to safeguard humanity under the shadow of divine guidance and moral values that protect society from all evil, misguidance, deviance and drowning in a materialistic tyranny that absorbs thought and ethics. The Almighty says: « And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], “Worship Allah and avoid Taghut.” And among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers…» An-Nahl -36

« We have already sent Our messengers with clear evidences and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance that the people may maintain [their affairs] in justice. » Al-Hadid -25

And may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions.

Prof. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi

SG of IIFA