Press Release
Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar acknowledges the Existence of the Jewish Entity and Exempts the Armies of Muslims from the Duty of Liberating Bayt al-Maqdis and its Surroundings
(Translated)

The Sheikh of Al-Azhar has called on the United Nations Security Council and the international community to expedite the recognition of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital. He also emphasized the need to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the daily violations it faces. During his speech on Wednesday 14/6/2023 in front of the Security Council, Sheikh Al-Tayeb said “I spoke about the sanctities of Palestine, my and your sanctities. I express deep concern over the audacity of power, the cruelty of tyranny, and the silence of the international community regarding the rights of the Palestinian people.” (Dunya Al-Watan)

The land of Palestine is a Kharaji land owned by the entire Ummah, not a single inch of it can be relinquished. It is the duty of the entire Ummah to protect and liberate it from its occupiers, and this duty falls upon all neighboring countries, with Egypt at the forefront. The calls made by the Sheikh of Al-Azhar to the UN Security Council and the international community are tantamount to recognizing the existence of a Jewish entity and exempting the armies of the Muslim Ummah from their obligation to liberate the land of Islam and its sanctities. The Western colonial institutions are the ones who created the Jewish entity as a poisoned dagger in the heart of the Ummah, preventing its unity once again. They are its primary supporters and protectors, shielding it from the direct anger of the Ummah through the agent regimes in our lands, with the Egyptian regime leading the way in playing its treacherous role to the fullest.

Egypt, with its people and army, yearns for the liberation of Palestine, which they consider a focal point and a central issue. It is deeply rooted in their Islamic sentiments, brotherhood, attachment to its Aqeedah and their zeal to protect its sanctities and sacredness, as well as the shedding of Muslim blood. The liberation of Palestine is a duty for the armies of the entire Muslim Ummah, and particularly for the Egyptian army, being one of the strongest armies and geographically close to Palestine. We are certain that there are many sincere ones within the Egyptian army who eagerly desire this liberation, fully aware that it is their duty towards their Ummah, Deen, and brothers. The only obstacle standing in their way is the current regime. Therefore, the liberation of Palestine necessitates uprooting this regime from its roots and establishing an Islamic state that mobilizes armies to liberate not only Palestine but also other occupied Muslim lands.

O Sincere Ones in the Kinanah Army: The liberation of Palestine and its oppressed people is your duty, and you will be held accountable for it before Allah on the Day of Judgment. This regime that obstructs you from fulfilling this duty has no authority over you; in fact, it is illegitimate and usurps the sovereignty of the Ummah, ruling us with kufr. Uprooting this regime is the first obligatory step towards the path of liberating Palestine. Therefore, your primary duty is to uproot it from its roots, including all its tools and symbols, and hand over the governance to the sincere ones among the Ummah who are capable of implementing Islam in its entirety, establishing the Khilafah Rashidah (rightly guided Caliphate) on the method of the Prophethood. This Khilafah will mobilize the armies to liberate the entire land of Islam, not just Palestine alone. O Allah, hasten its establishment and count us among its soldiers and witnesses.

[وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَهَاجَرُواْ وَجَاهَدُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ وَالَّذِينَ آوَواْ وَّنَصَرُواْ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقّاً لَّهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْق كَرِيمٌ]

“But those who have believed and emigrated and fought in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aided - it is they who are the believers, truly. For them is forgiveness and noble provision.” [Al-Anfal: 74]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Egypt