Evening star., 1947-12-04
Threat of Holy War

The pronouncement of the Council OF
Ulemas of al-Azhar University in Cairo,
Egypt, calling upon the Moslem world to
proclaim holy war" to prevent the par
tition of Palestine merits attention IN both
its legal and practical aspects.
First of all, it should be understood that
Moslems everywhere are subject to the
Shariya or Canon Law, which applies not
only to the articles of their faith but also
to their way of life. Among its tenets IS
the Jihad or "holy war" logically differen-
tiated from wars of a political or strategic
character Mohammed, the founder OF
Islam, proclaimed in the Koran the relig-
ious duty of his followers to wage war upon
those who do not accept the doctrines OF
Islam. Indeed, Moslems regard the world
as divided into two parts-Dar- -ul-1slam
and Dar- ul-Harb, which may be translated
as the realms" of Islam and of War. And
the early invasions launched by the fol-
lowers of Mohammed from their Arabian
homeland were inspired by the thought OF
spreading Islam universally by the sword.
However, the iniunctions of Mohammed,
written with reference to his new state and
the still-unconverted Arab tribes, obviously
required Interpretation when applied to
the relations of a vastly expanded Islam
and the whole non-Moslem world. The
first Interpretation differentiated the duty
of Jihad as applied respectively to idolaters
on the one hand and to Christians and
Jews on the other. With the latter, peace
able relations were possible; with the
former, holy war was mandatory. It
should further be noted that all Moslems
killed in Jihad acquire such merit that
they will be taken straight to paradise.
The decision as to whether war was
holy or secular came to be left to the
Caliph, the sovereign who exercised joint
religious and secular authority over Islam,
although in practice he usually consulted
the Ulemas-high doctors of the canon
law. precedent especially invoked by the
present decision of the Council of Ulemas
is the call to Jihad by the Caliph Sulei-
man when the Crusaders invaded Pales-
tine 300 years ago. 1t should be noted that
the ground for that Jihad was danger
to the Holy Places in Palestine. One of
these, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem,
ranks second in sanctity to the Kaaba of
Mecca in Moslem eyes.
At present there is no Caliph in Islam
The institution of the Caliphate has been
in allegiance ever since the deposition Of
the Ottoman Sultans who had assumed the
title on rather dubious legal grounds. In
the period before World War I, Sultan
Abdul Hamid attempted to spread his
spiritual authority as Caliph over the
Moslem world and used the threat of a
Jihad as diplomatic weapon against
Christian Powers. When Turkey entered
that war on the side of Germany and
Austria Hungary, the ruling Sultan actu-
ally proclaimed a Jihad, but the political
motive was so obvious that it was not
obeyed by most Mosems so the move fell
fiat.
The present call for Jihad, on the con-
trary, stems from popular pressure. Num-
erous appeals for ruling from the Council
of Ulemas have been received. The recon-
mendation for Jihad may be compared
to decision by our Supreme Court. 1t Is
"Jihad Is an unconditional obligation
and whoever neglects it is sinner" The
Council of Uemas has, of course, no official
status and is connected neither with the
Arab League nor with other government
groups. But its ruling, coming as it does
at moment when religious fanaticism is
prevalent in many parts of the Moslem
world over the Palestine issue, may have
most serious repercussions.