Takfiri Fatwas Threaten Peace: Designate Al-Azhar a Terrorist Organization
Amid a bloody scene in the Middle East and endless wars, July 10, 2025, stood out as a day that clearly exposed how Egypt’s two official religious institutions Al-Azhar and Dar al-Ifta—slid into openly takfiri rhetoric that can only be described as “institutionalized ISIS-style extremism.”
On the very same day, the two institutions issued official statements filled with highly extremist language against a group of European imams who had recently visited Israel. This simultaneous release reveals deliberate coordination at the highest level, engineered and approved by the Egyptian regime, classified as one of the world’s most authoritarian military regimes.
This episode completely shatters the long-propagated myth of “independent religious institutions” in Egypt, a narrative repeated endlessly by the regime’s propaganda as though it were an unquestionable fact. In reality, there is no such thing as independence under a military state. The Islamization and “ISIS-ization” of the state are carried out under the direct patronage of the military regime’s representative inside the presidential palace. This is even enshrined in constitutional texts, such as Article 200 amended in 2019 which assigns the armed forces the duty of protecting the country, safeguarding its security, preserving the constitution, democracy, and the “basic components of the state and its civilian nature.” In practice, this article legitimizes a “constitutional coup” against any president under broad and vague pretexts, meaning that the Egyptian president is effectively a representative of the military regime inside the presidential palace.
Al-Azhar’s Statement: Implicit Takfir and Explicit Incitement
Al-Azhar’s statement adopted an unusually harsh and extremist tone, expressing its “strong condemnation” of the European imams’ visit to what it described as “the Zionist entity” Al-Azhar consistently refrains from mentioning “Israel” by name in any of its statements. The statement asserted that these imams:
“Do not represent Islam or Muslims,” a clear form of exclusion that denies them any legitimate religious role in solidarity with the oppressed.
Were described as a “deviant sect (fīʾa ḍālla),” an explicitly takfiri label that places them in the category of doctrinal deviation, while warning Muslims in the East and West not to be deceived by them.
Were referred to as “mercenaries who have abandoned their moral and religious values,” with the statement adding that their legacy would end up in the “black pages of history.”
Al-Azhar concluded its statement by holding them religiously and morally accountable, labeling them:
“Hypocrites who feed off tables of disgrace, shame, and humiliation even if they perform Muslim prayers and claim to be imams and preachers.”
These terms “hypocrites” and “deviant sect”—mirror classical takfiri fatwas, echoing the rhetoric of the Khawarij and extremist groups that expel opponents from Islam under political or ideological pretexts.
Dar al-Ifta’s Statement: Accusatory Tone and ISIS-Style Imagery
The statement by Dar al-Ifta, signed by its current Mufti, Dr. Nazir Mohamed Ayad, matched Al-Azhar’s tone and substance. It described the European imams’ visit to Israel as a “detestable visit,” and declared that:
These imams “sold their consciences for a cheap price and falsely draped themselves in the cloak of religion,” a direct questioning of their faith and intentions rhetoric indistinguishable from that of extremist groups.
The Mufti described the event as “a disgraceful scene promoting a false peace and dialogue stained with the blood of innocents,” insisting they were nothing but “fake turbans used to whitewash the face of a bloody usurping entity,” directly accusing them of betrayal and political conspiracy.
The statement ended by criminalizing any attempt at dialogue with Israel referred to only as “the entity” describing such efforts as an attempt to create a “deceptive Islamic façade serving normalization agendas and distorting public awareness.”
This rhetoric, which frames a religious dialogue visit as “disgraceful” and “treacherous,” turns these imams into religious enemies in the eyes of millions of Muslims and implicitly legitimizes hostility or even violence against them.
The “Deviant Sect” Label: Takfir Wrapped in an Official Fatwa
One particular phrase in Al-Azhar’s statement deserves special attention:
“Al-Azhar affirms that this deviant sect does not represent Islam or Muslims, nor the mission carried by scholars, preachers, and imams in solidarity with the oppressed and downtrodden.”
This is not mere political name-calling. The term “deviant sect (fīʾa ḍālla)” carries heavy jurisprudential weight in Islamic tradition, historically used to describe the Khawarij and apostates. In extremist interpretation, it implies permissibility of bloodshed.
The Fall of Al-Azhar’s “Moderation” Mask After October 7
For decades, Al-Azhar marketed itself globally as the “reference for Islamic moderation,” claiming to “bridge gaps between peoples and religions.” But since October 7, 2023, that mask has completely fallen.
Al-Azhar issued dozens of statements effectively endorsing Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel, describing it as “legitimate resistance,” while ignoring deliberate killings of civilians. Its Grand Imam, Ahmed al-Tayeb, publicly praised the “courage of Gaza’s resistance fighters” and the “honor of jihad against the occupier,” using rhetoric indistinguishable from Hamas, Hezbollah, or even Iran’s clerical regime. At one point, Al-Azhar even expressed official support for Iran during its twelve-day war with Israel.
Through this stance, Al-Azhar transformed from a traditional religious institution into an ideological arm of Egypt’s military regime, adopting increasingly violent rhetoric to assert its religious legitimacy in the face of Islamist movements.
The Danger of These Statements as a Religious License for Terrorism
The greatest danger lies in the fact that these are not mere political statements but religious-legal endorsements, viewed as official fatwas from Egypt’s two highest religious authorities.
The Texts Extremists Rely Upon
When an institution like Al-Azhar labels a group of clerics a “deviant sect,” it effectively places them under Islamic texts exploited by extremists, including:
“O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and hypocrites and be harsh with them” (Qur’an 73). Al-Azhar explicitly described them as “hypocrites,” inviting interpretations of legitimized violence.
The Prophet’s hadith about the Khawarij: “Wherever you find them, kill them; for killing them will earn a reward on the Day of Judgment.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim).
. The hadith: “Whoever changes his religion, kill him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari), often used by extremists against anyone accused of “religious betrayal.”
Placed alongside Al-Azhar or Dar al-Ifta’s official language, these texts become a ticking time bomb in the hands of any extremist who believes he is carrying out “divine justice.”
Blatant Hypocrisy and a Forgotten Peace Treaty
The tragic irony cannot be overlooked: Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel 46 years ago, under U.S. sponsorship, yet its official religious institutions speak as though that treaty never existed. This glaring contradiction makes Al-Azhar and Dar al-Ifta’s discourse far closer to that of ISIS and Hamas than to that of a state supposedly committed to international agreements.
Conclusion: Institutionalized ISIS-Style Extremism Under Military Patronage A Call to Humanity
What happened on July 10 was not an isolated incident; it was the culmination of a long process of Islamizing the state and institutionalizing ISIS-style extremism under the direct patronage of Egypt’s military regime. These statements did not emerge in a vacuum; they reflect a deliberate policy aimed at fueling religious emotions and weaponizing them as a political tool allowing the regime to justify itself domestically while presenting credentials to Islamist groups as the “guardian of political Islam.”
Al-Azhar’s description of European religious leaders as a “deviant faction,” and Al-Ifta’s incitement against dialogue with Israel, is not mere religious rhetoric. It is an open license for extremists to target any voice that calls for peace. This is where the real danger lies: state-sanctioned ISIS-style extremism, stamped with official seals, far more dangerous than ISIS itself because it enjoys international legitimacy under the cover of a UN member state.
Nearly a decade ago, Egyptian writer and intellectual Sayed Al-Qemany who passed away on February 6, 2022 called for Al-Azhar to be designated as a terrorist organization. He led a petition campaign to submit to the United Nations through the well-known platform “Avaaz,” seeking international support for this demand.
Today, I find myself repeating his outcry, raising it to the highest possible level loudly, clearly, and unequivocally calling on the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, the U.S. State Department, the European Parliament, and all relevant international organizations to urgently and unambiguously place Al-Azhar on the official lists of designated terrorist entities.
This is not only to protect Muslim communities from state-sponsored incitement cloaked in religious legitimacy, but also to protect humanity itself from the world’s most dangerous religious institution one backed by a military state that grants extremism an official stamp of approval, legitimizing violence and justifying terror.
