Hawzah News Agency- Sheikh Salama Abdelqawi, a former spokesman and advisor to Egypt's Ministry of Religious Endowments during the presidency of Mohamed Morsi, delivered his landmark statement via his personal YouTube channel, directly confronting the manufactured question that has been relentlessly pushed by certain Persian Gulf media outlets: "Why have you taken Iran's side against your brothers in the Persian Gulf states?"
His response was swift, uncompromising, and rooted in the fundamental principles of Islamic jurisprudence.
"The Question Itself Is Wrong"
Abdelqawi dismantled the premise of the question before answering it. "This question is fundamentally incorrect," he stated, "because the current conflict is not between Iran and the Persian Gulf states." The Egyptian scholar cut through the fog of propaganda to reveal the true nature of the confrontation: an assault by non-Muslim powers—the United States and the Netanyahu regime—against a Muslim nation.
"Whether we like it or not, whether we love Iran or do not love it, Iran is ultimately a Muslim country," Abdelqawi declared. "It has been targeted by non-Muslim countries such as America, as well as Netanyahu and his allies. If we look at this matter from the perspective of Sharia and Islamic creed, a Muslim never stands against another Muslim."
The scholar's words carry particular weight given his position within the Sunni scholarly establishment of Egypt—the historical heartland of Sunni Islamic learning and the seat of Al-Azhar, the oldest and most prestigious institution of Sunni jurisprudence in the world.
"If America Attacks Saudi Arabia, I Will Stand with Saudi Arabia"
In a demonstration of principled consistency that exposes the bankruptcy of sectarian agitators, Abdelqawi made clear that his position has nothing to do with political alignments or transient rivalries. His stance is anchored in immutable religious principles.
"I bear no hostility toward the Persian Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE," he emphasized. "If America were to attack Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, I would stand with them without hesitation—because in Islamic jurisprudence, the party that has been aggressed against has the right to legitimate self-defense."
This is the standard that Abdelqawi applies universally: the Muslim stands with the oppressed against the oppressor, regardless of sect, ethnicity, or political convenience. It is a standard rooted in the Quranic command and the prophetic tradition—and one that much of the Arab world's political establishment has abandoned in its rush to normalize relations with the Zionist entity and align with American military hegemony.
Legitimate Defense: An Islamic and International Right
Abdelqawi addressed Iran's potential retaliatory strikes against American interests within the framework of legitimate defense, a right enshrined not only in Islamic jurisprudence but in the foundational texts of international law. The United Nations Charter itself, Article 51, recognizes the inherent right of individual and collective self-defense against armed attack. The scholar's articulation strips away the hypocrisy of those who claim the mantle of international law while denying its protections to nations they seek to isolate and destroy.
Gaza, Palestine, and the Silence of Arab Governments
The Egyptian scholar did not limit his remarks to the abstract principles of jurisprudence. He leveled a searing indictment against Arab governments for abandoning the people of Palestine and Gaza to face genocide alone. In the halls of the Arab League, in the palaces of normalizing regimes, silence has reigned while children are buried under rubble. Iran, Abdelqawi noted, has stood firm—arming, funding, and diplomatically defending the Axis of Resistance and the Palestinian cause. For this, he declared, Iran is at the very least "deserving of gratitude."
The statement lands like a thunderclap in Cairo, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi. Here is a Sunni scholar of unimpeachable credentials—a former government ministry official—publicly acknowledging what millions of Arab Muslims whisper in private: that Iran's support for Palestine is a source of honor, not shame, and that those who have abandoned the cause have no moral standing to lecture others.
A Shifting Tide in Persian Gulf
Abdelqawi welcomed the growing intellectual currents within Saudi Arabia and Qatar that oppose being dragged into a war with Iran, hailing this as a sign of "political rationality." He praised Arab thinkers who argue that relations with Iran must not be sacrificed on the altar of Israeli interests—a recognition that the true existential threat to the region emanates not from Tehran but from Tel Aviv and its insatiable expansionist project.
"Wherever the Truth Stands, There I Stand"
The Egyptian scholar concluded with words that deserve to be etched into the conscience of the Muslim world: "America is a tyrannical aggressor, and we will always stand with the party that has been aggressed against—not with the aggressor. Wherever the truth is, there I shall be."
He closed with a final, urgent plea: sectarian differences and political disputes must never be allowed to overshadow the moral and religious obligations that bind Muslims in the face of regional crises. When bombs fall on Muslim lands, when children are slaughtered in Gaza, when foreign fleets mass in the Persian Gulf, the question is not Sunni or Shia, Arab or Persian. The question is justice or injustice. Truth or falsehood. The oppressed or the oppressor.
And for Sheikh Salama Abdelqawi, the answer is clear. His fatwa is issued. The duty is binding. And the conscience of the Ummah has been put on notice.
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