200 Muslim scholars issue fatwa forbidding participation in Egyptian presidential elections

More than 200 Muslim scholars issued a fatwa on Sunday forbidding participation in the current presidential elections in Egypt.

The fatwa has been announced at a press conference in Istanbul held by the “coordinating committee for fatwas of the Muslim nation.” The conference was titled: “Forbidding the recognition of the coup and participation in its elections.”

The fatwa was based on the Islamic principle of forbidding any assistance to an unjust ruler.

The signatories to the fatwa include the president of the International Union of Islamic Scholars Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Kuwaiti MP Walid al-Tabtaba’y and Kuwaiti scholar Nabil Al-Awadi.