Emir of Iraqi Salafi criticizes his Tunisian counterpart

The Emir of Salafi Jihad in Iraq, Sunday, criticized the fatwa issued by the Emir of Salafis in Tunisia, through which he calls for armed action in Iraq following the withdrawal of US troops, saying that the fatwa is “far from right and surpassing the opinion of his group,” describing it as “disorderly”. In an statement issued on Sunday, copied to ‘Arabstodat’, Mahdi al-Samidae, Emir of the Salafi Jihad in Iraq, said that what the Emir of Salafis in Tunisia said is not appropriate and does not fit with the current situation, adding that it is full of “unjustified enthusiasm,” particularly for those who are out of touch with the reality in Iraq. He stated that the fatwa surpasses the opinion of the Salafi group which studied the situation closely and issued a fatwa stressing the need to work on constructing the community and denouncing violence and extremism. Emir of Salafis in Tunisia, Abu Ayadh, announced in an earlier statement that “actual Jihad” in Iraq “has now begun,” saying that the armed Tunisian who was executed in Iraq on charges of bombing the Shia shrine was one of the Salafi Jihadists. “Should a Muslim country be inflicted with war or enemy or anything of the sort, Muftis from outside this country are to refrain from issuing fatwa concerning such infliction, but should leave it to scholars of this very country as they are more aware of their situation,” Samidae added. “Matters related to Jihad in Iraq have their own specificity. The people of the country are aware of their situation, and those who are not qualified to issues fatwa on the matter should not do so… [as it] could lead to the destruction and undermining of Muslims,” he pointed out.  Emir of Iraqi Salafi Jihad called on Iraqi Jihadists to not pay attention to the fatwa which “lacks accuracy of information” and does not serve Muslims. He explained “the active segment of the society is the Jihadists who resist falsehood,” saying that following the departure of the US occupation forces, and the return of the “Jihadists’ prestige”, they should carry out other religious duties. He called on them to work on “reuniting, building, constructing, serving their faith and returning to mosques, and paying attention to youth in learning Shariah.” He also urged people to not give the “US mission” the chance to execute its plan in the region of inciting people and igniting the sectarian sedition. The Iraqi Association of Muslim Scholars called on the Iraqi embassy in Tunis to file a lawsuit charging the Tunisian Emir of Salafis of inciting sectarian aggression in Iraq. It warned all Muslim Scholars against his fatwas, so that the youth would not be led to extremism. It is noted that Tunisian Yousri al-Tariqi, who came to Iraq as part of a delegation of Arab insurgents in 2006, was accused of bombing Shia shrines in Samra, north Baghdad, which started up a sectarian sedition lasting for two years, causing the death and injury of thousands of Iraqis, and leading to the immigration of hundreds of thousands of them. Iraqi judiciary sentenced al-Tariqi to death, after accusing him of belonging to al-Qaeda and bombing the shrines of Ali al-Hadi and Hassan al-Askari in Samra in 2006, in addition to assassination Al-Arabia correspondent Atwar Bahgat, a day after said explosions. The sentence was recently executed.