Senior Kuwaiti sharia scholar declares Al-Sisi's rule illegal

Kuwaiti religious scholar Dr Ajeel Al-Nashmi has issued a fatwa calling Egyptian Defence Minister and coup leader General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi an illegitimate “tyrant”.

Al-Nashmi is the head of the Sharia Scholars in the Gulf Cooperation Council states. His fatwa comes as a reply to a previous fatwa by the Kuwaiti Sheikh Hai Al-Hai, who had argued that Al-Sisi is a legal ruler for Egypt and called for the people to obey and support him.

Al-Sisi orchestrated the military coup that deposed Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi. He has subsequently hinted that he now wants the presidency for himself.

In his counter fatwa, Al-Nashmi counted seven conditions that must be applied for rulers to be legal according to sharia. “None of those seven conditions applies in Al-Sisi’s case,” he said.

The senior GCC scholar reiterated that legalising Al-Sisi’s regime means the return of an oppressive military regime in Egypt. He called for the ummah scholars to “stand steadfast” against Al-Sisi and for the Egyptian people not to elect him.

Al-Nashmi reminded Sheikh Al-Hai about Colonel Mu’amar Al-Qaddafi of Libya, whose rule was deemed illegal by most sharia scholars. The same applies for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

Source: AlSharq