Islamic Supreme Council of Algeria: We did not issue a fatwa prohibiting strikes

On Tuesday, The Islamic Supreme Council of Algeria denied issuing a fatwa which prohibits strikes, as has been circulated in some media outlets.

This came in a statement published by the official Algerian news agency on its website.

The source said the Islamic Council “has never issued any fatwa regarding strikes.”

The source added “whoever said it did is lying” in reference to some media outlets.

The statement pointed out that the fatwas of the Islamic Supreme Council “are issued only after the meeting of its members in a regular or an exceptional session, and they are announced on its official website.”

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Algeria has long been witnessing strikes and a wave of open protests in some sectors, especially the health and education sectors.

Since January 2018, trade unions in Algeria’s education sector have launched open strikes to call for several demands, including improving salaries.

Resident doctors (public doctors at government hospitals) have been on strike since November 2017 which is still continuing, to improve their working conditions.

The Islamic Supreme Council is an advisory authority to the Presidency of the Republic and a reference institution on all matters related to Islam in Algeria.