Muslim soldiers told to take part in military campaign - Nation - United States - Brief Article

National Catholic Reporter, Oct 26, 2001 by Gill Donovan

An international panel of Muslim scholars has ruled that Muslims serving in the U.S. military have the obligation to fight for their country, even if it means killing fellow Muslims in a war against terrorism.

The edict, or fatwa, was issued by Taha Jabir Alwani, an Islamic scholar at the School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Va. The academy certifies the religious credentials of those applying to be Muslim chaplains in the armed forces, according to The Washington Post.

Alwani said, "All Muslims ought to be united against all those who terrorize the innocents, and those who permit the killing of non-combatants without a justifiable reason," according to the Sept. 27 ruling.

The ruling came at the request of Army Capt. Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, the first Muslim chaplain appointed in the military. Muhammad said he requested the ruling before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to provide guidance on requests from Muslim soldiers on declaring themselves conscientious objectors.

The ruling is significant because its supporters include a prominent sheik in Qatar and three Egyptians who have been critical of U.S. foreign policy. Charles Butterworth, a professor of Islam at the University of Maryland, told the Post the edict means "Muslims who are in the military have no question about where their loyalty lies."

At the same time, a contradictory ruling was issued by Islamic clerics in the Persian Gulf country of Yemen. An edict issued by 172 Yemeni scholars said Muslims are prohibited from supporting a U.S.-led military campaign in the Middle East. Cooperation "either materially or morally is prohibited and a betrayal of God, the Prophet [Muhammad] and believers," Reuters news agency reported.