Sunni scholars have temporarily set aside their deep doctrinal differences with Shiite Iran to condemn the war launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel against Iran. Moroccan scholars have joined this stance, describing the attacks as a «war against Islam». DR ‹ › Several Moroccan religious scholars have expressed support for a statement initiated by Mauritanian preacher Mohamed El Hassan Ould Deddou, who is known for his pro-Polisario positions and alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Among the Moroccan signatories are Hassan Kettani, a former terrorism detainee pardoned in 2011 and current president of the League of Maghreb Scholars, as well as Sheikh Issam Bachir El Marrakchi, an academic, and Hamza Kettani. Religious figures from Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya have also endorsed the initiative. In their statement, the signatories assert that «Iran has caused no harm to the United States and its Zionist allies (...). This is a quintessential Zionist-Crusader war, targeting Islam at its core and the nation in its essence, where the Islamic holy sites, resources, wealth, and the demographic, historical, and civilizational weight of the nation are located». They further denounce that «what America and its ally, the Zionist entity, have done by bombing cities, sites, and military and civilian targets, starting with Iran, and we do not know where this will stop, is the clearest and most blatant example of the aggression and tyranny that characterize their policy toward Islam and Muslims». Legitimizing Iranian attacks against Gulf states The signatories also argue that «targeting Iran by the Crusader-Zionist alliance constitutes an external attack on a Muslim country, a country whose sacred nature and importance are paramount, regardless of its current regime». The statement points to what it describes as a strategic paradox: «Western military bases in the Gulf, established under the pretext of security, are precisely those that provoke the bombing of regional capitals». At the same time, the religious figures appear more restrained in their criticism of Tehran, limiting their reproach to Iran's missile and drone strikes on Arab countries. They claim that «the United States deliberately establishes military bases in Gulf states to provoke Iran and incite it to strike these bases, thereby triggering reprisals and a regional war that ultimately serves the interests of the enemies». This political stance echoes that of Al Adl wal Ihsane (AWI), which has condemned the «American-Zionist aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran» and offered «condolences to the Iranian people for the victims of this aggression, including civilians, intellectuals, and leaders, notably the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Mr. Ali Khamenei». However, AWI has remained silent regarding Iranian strikes on military and civilian targets in Gulf states. The Justice and Development Party (PJD), for its part, has adopted a more nuanced position, condemning the «American-Zionist aggression» while also criticizing the missiles and drones launched by Tehran against Arab countries in the region.
