28/12/2009 The chairman of the International Union for Muslim Scholars Sheikh Yousuf al-Qaradawi slammed the controversial iron wall Egypt was building along its border with the Gaza Strip as an "unjustified crime" and as such was banned by Islam.
Sheikh Qaradawi said, in a statement, that the iron wall Egypt had begun constructing was meant to "pressure the Palestinians in Gaza to surrender to Israel."
"What Egypt is building these days on its border with Gaza is a prohibited act from the Islamic perspective," the prominent Islamic scholar said. "It aims to close off Gaza and tighten the siege imposed on it people so that they give in to the Israeli demands," Sheikh Qaradawi added.
"When the news of this wall was firstly reported, I did not believe it. I thought it was only meant to drive a wedge between Egypt and the Palestinians. But later when it was confirmed, it was a tragic shock for me," Sheikh Qaradawi emphasized.
Sheikh Qaradawi also called on the Egyptian government to open its Rafah border crossing point with Gaza, noting that opening the border point was a "religious and legal duty" of Egypt toward the Gazan people. "Rafah is the only lifeline for the people of Gaza. Egypt should open it rather than suffocating the Palestinians and collaborating with others to kill them."
The scholar also appealed to both the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to pressure Egypt to stop the construction of the Wall. "The Wall is one hundred percent against the Palestinians and playing into the hands of the Israeli enemy one hundred percent," he concluded.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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