PA arrests Palestinians for selling land to Israelis/Jews, follows Mufti's religious prohibition
PA arrests Palestinians for selling land
to Israelis/Jews, follows Mufti's religious prohibition
to Israelis/Jews, follows Mufti's religious prohibition
- PA Mufti: Anyone selling land to Israelis/Jews is:"A traitor against Allah... Muslims must excommunicate him, and not do business with him, not marry him, not demonstrate friendliness to him, not participate in his funeral, not pray for him, and not bury him in Muslim cemeteries"
- Abbas initiated law: "Life imprisonment with forced labor" for selling land to Israelis/Jews
By Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Earlier this year, the Palestinian Authority Mufti ruled that Islam forbids selling land to "enemies," as reported by Palestinian Media Watch. Doing so would be "treason" and "a sin." Now the Palestinian Authority is acting according to this prohibition. In cooperation with the PA's General Prosecution, the PA's Preventive Intelligence Force "succeeded in thwarting a deal for the illegal transfer of land" and arrested those involved:
"The [PA] Preventive Intelligence Force succeeded - through security cooperation, relying on intelligence information, surveillance on the ground, and intensive monitoring, and in legal coordination with the [PA] General Prosecution - in thwarting a deal for the illegal transfer of land (i.e., to Israelis/Jews) in the Hebron district... The Force succeeded in arresting those involved... and they were transferred to the legal system for the completion of the legal steps against them."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 31, 2018]
The Mufti emphasized the gravity of the sin of transferring land to non-Muslims a few months ago, explaining that it constitutes "heresy." He made it clear that anyone guilty of such a land transfer is seen by Allah as similar to someone "who fight[s] Muslims because of their religion." Such a person is considered a "traitor" who has "left Islam" and should be "banished" and "excommunicated" - no one should "do business with him, marry him, or demonstrate friendliness to him," and no one should "participate in his funeral, pray for him, or bury him in Muslim cemeteries:" PA Mufti: "The basis is that Palestine is kharaj (i.e., taxable land in Islam) and waqf (i.e., an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law) land, and it is forbidden by religious law to sell its lands and transfer them to the enemies' ownership... The transfer of ownership of territory of Islam (dar Al-Islam) to enemies is invalid, and constitutes treason against Supreme Allah and his Prophet [Muhammad] ... Anyone who sells his land to his enemies or receives compensation for it is sinning, because anyone that sells land to enemies is facilitating the removal of Muslims from their lands, and Blessed and Supreme Allah equates him to those who fight Muslims because of their religion... The selling of lands to enemies and negotiation [to sell] to them are heresy through actions, and considered loyalty to infidels who are fighting [Muslims]. This loyalty [to infidels] leads to banishment from the nation, and anyone who does this is considered as one who leaves Islam and a traitor against Allah, His honorable prophet, His religion, and His homeland.' He added: 'The Muslims must excommunicate him, and not do business with him, not marry him, not demonstrate friendliness to him, not participate in his funeral, not pray for him, and not bury him in Muslim cemeteries."
[Donia Al-Watan (independent Palestinian news agency),
July 10, 2018]
The arrests and statement of the PA Mufti reflect a 2014 decision of PA Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, who "instituted life imprisonment with forced labor for the clandestine transfer, leasing or selling of lands to a hostile country or its citizens". [Official PA TV, Oct. 21, 2014]Click to read about the PA's fatwa against running and voting in the Jerusalem municipal elections later this year.
The following are longer excerpts of the reports mentioned above:
Headline: "The [PA] Preventive Intelligence thwarted an illegal land transfer deal in Hebron"
"The [PA] Preventive Intelligence Force succeeded - through security cooperation, relying on intelligence information, surveillance on the ground, and intensive monitoring, and in legal coordination with the [PA] General Prosecution - in thwarting a deal for the illegal transfer of land (i.e., to Israelis/Jews) in the Hebron district whose area is 33 dunams (i.e., approximately 8 acres).
A notice from the Directorate of Public Relations and Information of the Preventive Intelligence explained that the Force succeeded in arresting those involved in the issue after it confiscated all of the documents in their possession, and they were transferred to the legal system for the completion of the legal steps against them."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 31, 2018]
Headline: "The grand mufti: Facilitating the transfer of ownership of [lands of] Jerusalem and the land of Palestine to enemies is forbidden"
"[PA] Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories and blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Muhammad Hussein emphasized the prohibition on facilitating the transfer of ownership of any part of Jerusalem and the land of Palestine to enemies. This is in light of the occupation authorities' latest aggressive attempts to take over Palestinian lands by discussing a bill that will allow Jews to acquire lands in the occupied West Bank.
The mufti said in the religious legal ruling: 'The basis is that Palestine is
kharaj (i.e., taxable land in Islam) and
waqf (i.e., an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law) land, and it is forbidden by religious law to sell its lands and transfer them to the enemies' ownership, because according to religious law [Palestine] is meant for public Islamic benefit, and is not personal and private property.' He added: 'The transfer of ownership of territory of Islam (dar Al-Islam) to enemies is invalid, and constitutes treason against Supreme Allah and his Prophet [Muhammad], peace be upon him... Anyone who sells his land to his enemies or receives compensation for it is sinning, because anyone that sells land to enemies is facilitating the removal of Muslims from their lands, and Blessed and Supreme Allah equates him to those who fight Muslims because of their religion.' Hussein continued: 'The selling of lands to enemies and negotiation [to sell] to them are heresy through actions, and considered loyalty to infidels who are fighting [Muslims]. This loyalty [to infidels] leads to banishment from the nation, and anyone who does this is considered as one who leaves Islam and a traitor against Allah, His honorable prophet, His religion, and His homeland.' He added: 'The Muslims must excommunicate him, and not do business with him, not marry him, not demonstrate friendliness to him, not participate in his funeral, not pray for him, and not bury him in Muslim cemeteries.' This was emphasized in [Palestinian] Supreme Fatwa Council Ruling No. (7/2) from Oct. 31, 1996."
[Donia Al-Watan (independent Palestinian news agency),
July 10, 2018]