New academic research shows that the religious rulings (fatwas) related to Iraq and the Iraqi people devised by Saudi clerics have a significant impact on religious communities in Iraq. University professor Dr. Qasim Jenabi, who conducted the research, argues that the Saudi clerics’ rulings fall into two categories.
The first category of fatwas are those that defend the rights of Sunni Muslims and protect them from injustice. If appropriate, these fatwas will call for solidarity with the Shias, such as fatwas that condemned the bombing of Shia shrines in Samara. Senior scholars and Shuyukhs that issue fatwas which fall into this category include Sheikh Saleh Jadaan, Sheikh Hassan Al-Nemer, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Omair, and Sheikh Hassan al-Saffar.
The second category of fatwas are those that concern the legitimate rights of defense and the sanctity of Iraqi blood. These fatwas legitimize Iraqi resistance and prohibit any cooperation with the occupier. They clarify that to fight the occupiers, or to engage in a defensive jihad, is the duty of all capable individuals. In these rulings, the scholars contend that under Islamic law, Iraqis are allowed to fight the aggression of the occupiers in Iraq; however, they stress that the neutral international peace keeping force should not be a target of the attack. While these fatwas argue that the Iraqi people have the legitimate right to defend themselves, they emphasize that no Muslim is allowed to cause harm to other defenders, or to surrender them to the occupiers. Rather, the scholars maintain that Muslims should support and protect defenders, and that any assistance to the occupiers for military action is sinful and supports aggression. Scholars that issue rulings within this category include Shaykh Safar al-Hawali, Sheikh Naser al-Omar, Sheikh Salman al Awdah, and Sheikh Awad al-Qarni.
Some Iraqi people, especially politicians, criticized both categories of fatwas.