4 days ago
Qatar-Affiliated Journalists And Islamic Scholars Criticize Call To Disarm Hamas Issued By UN High-Level International Conference For Implementation Of Two State Solution: It Is A 'Betrayal Of Allah,'
In late July and early August 2025, a number of journalists, influencers, and Islamic scholars in Qatar and affiliated with Qatar voiced opposition to the United Nations High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held July 28-30 in New York at the initiative of France and Saudi Arabia.[1] They objected in particular to the conference's concluding statement, which included a call for disarming Hamas and terminating its rule in the Gaza Strip, and a condemnation of its October 7, 2023 invasion and massacres in southern Israel, which Hamas calls the Al-Aqsa Flood.[2]
Calling on Hamas to disregard the calls for its disarmament, the writers underlined that the rights of the Palestinian people will only be achieved through force. One member of the Doha-based Qatar-supported International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) even republished an Islamic ruling stating that relinquishing the weapons of the resistance in Gaza would constitute "betrayal of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, and the Muslims," as well as "collaboration with the enemy."
It is notable that this criticism is being voiced in Qatar even though Qatar itself participated in the international conference, and was even one of the countries that approved its concluding statement. This appears to be another example of Qatar's doublespeak and attempts to present itself to the West as a peace-seeking country, despite its consistent support for terrorism, Hamas, and the October 7 attack.[3]
Moreover, the opposition to calls for Hamas's disarmament from individuals affiliated with Qatar echo the opposition expressed in recent months in Qatari media to these same calls that were raised in ceasefire talks in Qatar. For example, Jaber Al-Harmi, editor of the Qatari government daily Al-Sharq, called on Hamas to retain its weapons so they can be used to defeat Israel just as the Taliban defeated the U.S. and the West.[4] Similarly, in June, hundreds of Islamic scholars from across the Muslim world, among them members of the Qatar-supported IUMS, signed a petition granting religious approval for Hamas's operations and the October 7 attacks and rejecting demands for Hamas's disarmament.[5]
This report will present examples of criticism by Qatar-affiliated individuals of the UN High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and of the conference's call for Hamas's disarmament – including a repost by one of them of a recent MEMRI TV clip of senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad stating that Hamas will never give up its weapons.
Fatwa By Member Of Qatar-Supported International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS): The Call To Disarm The Resistance Is "A Betrayal Of Allah"
As calls were voiced to disarm Hamas, IUMS member Muhammad Al-Saghir wrote on his X account on August 4, 2025: "[What is] the reason for demanding that the resistance surrender its weapons now? And [what is] the shari'a law, which is the basis of the Hamas movement [that refuses to surrender its arms]?[6] ..." In the post, he provided a link to a fatwa he had issued in March 2025 describing the call to disarm the resistance in Gaza "a betrayal of Allah."[7]
The fatwa to which he linked stated: "... To obtain and prepare strength in all its forms – that is the way to prevent aggression by the unbelievers against Muslim countries, to defend their lands, their blood and their honor, and to prevent the enemies of Allah from expanding into other areas in the countries of the Muslims...
"According to shari'a, a Muslim, whether ruler or a subject, is prohibited from demanding of the resistance that it surrender its weapons, due to the inherent danger this would pose to the country and to the Muslims, as we have explained. Any ruler who calls for this... is betraying Allah, His Prophet, and His believers; is plotting against the resistance and the holy places; [and] is supporting the enemy and striving to achieve what it wants. It is forbidden to take action to disarm it [the resistance]. The Muslim scholars have forbidden this in the past, when their texts determined that it is forbidden to reconcile with the infidels if that reconciliation does not embody preferential benefit to Muslims or if it is not crucial...
"The call to disarm the resistance, or the call to the resistance to surrender its arms, is a betrayal of Allah, His Messenger, and the Muslims, because maintaining these weapons is a binding obligation, as this is the appropriate way to protect the land, the holy places, the assets, and honor...
"It is forbidden for any Muslim country to respond or to agree to these Zionist or American wishes. Anyone who calls to disarm the resistance in exchange for political promises is considered a collaborator with the enemy [and] a traitor to his Islamic nation and its rights, and is loyal to the enemies of Allah. Allah the Exalted said: 'Oh believers, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you – then indeed, he is [one] of them. Surely Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people [Quran 5:51].'
"It is forbidden for the inhabitants of Palestine, in particular the jihadi fighters, to agree to surrender their weapons, because of the great corruption that will ensue as a result. This [corruption] includes people's expulsion [from their homes], giving the Zionists control over our countries and our holy places, and the actualization of what they wish for from the war..."[8]
Muhammad Al-Saghir's post (Source: August 4, 2025)
Qatar University Lecturer: "Do Not Listen To The Swindler" Who Calls For Disarmament
Another IUMS member, Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shinqiti, also a Qatar University lecturer, wrote on his X account: "Do not listen to the swindler who urges you to lay down the weapons of the resistance, for he hopes that the enemy will kill you. Listen to the words [of Allah] the Creator and wiser than all: '... And let them be vigilant and armed. The infidels would wish to see you neglect your weapons and belongings, so they could launch a sweeping assault on you... [Quran 102:4]."[9]
In another post, Al-Shinqiti wrote: "As Iran races against time to create a nuclear weapon that will grant it steadfastness and strategic resilience to face the Zionist-American anarchy in the region, 22 Arab countries demand, from an international platform, that the simple weapons of the Palestinian resistance should be surrendered... Shame on you!!!"[10]
Senior Al-Jazeera TV Presenter: Whoever Thinks Disarmament Will Stop The Resistance Is Deluded
Senior Al-Jazeera TV presenter Jamal Rayyan posted on his X account: "Whoever thinks disarmament of the resistance will stop it is deluded, for as long as there is an occupation here, the resistance will emerge from here."[11] In another post, Rayyan appeared to oppose the Arab countries' condemnation of the October 7 attack in the conference's concluding statement. He wrote: "Jerusalem and Palestine are the criteria for the lost honor. October 7 was a rehearsal for the restoration of this honor."[12]
Post by Jamal Rayyan (Source: July 30, 2025)
Editor Of Qatari Daily: Rights Will Only Be Achieved By Force
Jaber Al-Harmi, editor of the Qatari government daily Al-Sharq, which has previously expressed its opposition to Hamas's disarmament,[13] wrote on his X account: "[They, i.e. the Western countries] demand of the oppressed that they throw away their weapons, and [they] support the oppressors with [the supply of] all sorts of weapons. [This is] a world that recognizes only the strong. [Their] talk of justice is [intended] only to stupefy [us]. Rights are taken and protected only by force."[14]
Qatari Journalist: Only Hamas Understands The Problem – So The Entire World Seeks To Disarm And Vilify It
On his X account, Al-Sharq journalist Abdullah Al-Amadi downplayed the importance of the conference and expressed his support for Hamas's path: "Over 100 countries convene at the UN to discuss this arrangement or [perhaps better described as] the elimination of the Palestinian problem by means of a two-state solution: [In other words,] a fat-free Palestinian state, a demilitarized one without prestige unable to say its piece, to be administered by [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas and his gang, and another full-fat Zionist [country] that [the countries of] the East and the West will support with weapons and other things, to be administered by war criminals!!..."
Al-Amadi also said in the post that the U.S. had boycotted the conference and assessed that it would not accept the conference's recommendations, expressed doubt about France's and the UK's intentions regarding the recognition of a Palestinian state, and added : "The Arabs want very much to eliminate the [Palestinian] issue, and the other Islamic countries are no different and are concerned only with their own affairs. The sole body that understood the source of the problem and the basis of the conflict is Hamas – and so the entire world works together to disarm it and to sully its good name in every way and by every means."[15]
Several days later, Al-Amadi reposted on his X account a MEMRI TV clip of an Al-Jazeera interview with senior Hamas member Ghazi Hamad that aired on August 2, 2025. In it, Hamad stated, "The weapons constitute the Palestinian cause. Our weapons equal our cause" and added that Hamas "will not surrender our weapons" and that the October 7 attack had led to the recognition of a Palestinian state.[16]
Al-Amadi's repost of the MEMRI TV clip of Al-Jazeera's interview with Ghazi Hamad (Source: Abdulla_Alamadi, August 3, 2025)
To view the MEMRI TV clip of Ghazi Hamad, click here or below:
