Saudi newspaper publishes fatwa authorizing killing of Hamas

Memri writes that yesterday a Saudi daily, Al-Watan, posted an article written May 16 by an unknown sheik on its front page in which the sheik gives Islamic sanction to kill members of Hamas.

Memri summarizes the key points of the sheik's argument:

Hamas, like the Khawarij, is rebelling against a legitimate ruler whose authority it had already accepted; Hamas labels as apostate any Muslim who has committed grave sins (kabair), for example, drinking wine; Hamas cooperates with anybody who supports it, even if he is a Christian, and consider an enemy anyone who disassociates himself from it, even if he is a devout Muslim.

After listing their "Khawariji" characteristics, the article recommends that the following measures be taken against Hamas: "We [should call] upon the media to [invite] their scholars to appear on TV or on the Internet to [be asked] about those criminal murderers. If they say that what they [i.e. Hamas members] do is prohibited, then you should kill them cold-bloodedly, [and you will] be rewarded by Allah for ridding Muslims of their influence and evil. Jews have more mercy towards our nation than [Hamas]. If they [i.e. the scholars] say that their conduct is permitted, then kill their scholars... they are all the same."

I guess this follows from the Mecca accord.