The leading Shiite religious figure in Iran has recently issued a fatwa against President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Grand Ayatollah Nasar Makarem Siraj’s declaration urges Muslims worldwide to take action against those he views as threats to the unity of the Muslim community, referring to such individuals or governments as “warlords” and “mohalebs,” a term for those perceived to be at war with God. Under Iranian law, those labeled as Mohaleb face severe punishments, including execution, amputation, or exile.
In his ruling, Makarem declared, “Those who threaten the leadership and integrity of the Islamic Umma should be considered warlords.” He concluded his statement with a plea for divine protection from these “enemies” and a call for the swift return of Mahdi, the anticipated Shiite Messiah.
Commentator Nyak Golbani criticized the fatwa, labeling it as a legitimization of global terrorism by the state. He indicated in a post that the actions taken against domestic opposition in Iran suggest larger ambitions for religiously driven violence on an international scale.
This fatwa comes in light of what has been referred to as the “12 Day War,” a conflict that reportedly caused significant damage to Iran’s nuclear capabilities due to U.S. and Israeli actions.
On June 13, Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, resulting in the deaths of high-ranking scientists and military leaders. In a response, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on an Israeli city. The United States subsequently entered the fray a week later, targeting three Iranian nuclear sites.
Earlier, Trump had warned that any further enrichment of uranium to weapon-grade levels by Iran would provoke additional U.S. responses, following a temporary ceasefire that ended a violent stretch.
This isn’t the first instance of Iranian religious leaders using fatwas to incite violence. A notable case occurred in 1989 when a fatwa was issued against author Salman Rushdie due to the release of his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which many Muslims found offensive. This led to a series of violent incidents, including the murder of his Japanese translator and multiple assassination attempts on Rushdie, who survived a stabbing attack in 2023.
