Are America and Europe waiting for another 9/11 before taking action against organizations openly calling for violence and terror in the name of religion? This question is prompted by the recent statement by the International Union of Muslim Scholars’ (IUMS) Jurisprudence and Fatwa Committee on March 28, 2025.
Posted on their official website and amplified by Union president Ali Al-Qaradaghi on his personal X/Twitter account, this statement, calling for “armed jihad” as a religious requirement, is a clear example of inflammatory rhetoric promoting terrorism under religious pretexts, seeking to recruit Muslims worldwide – including Western residents – into violent extremism.
This pronouncement continues the IUMS’s long history of similar rhetoric. Despite marketing itself as “moderate and middle-way,” the Union’s rhetoric and actions expose its true function as a media and religious arm of terrorist groups, especially the Muslim Brotherhood. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who founded the organization in 2004, was a key Muslim Brotherhood figure.
Experts widely view the IUMS as a dangerous platform using religious cover to promote violent extremism. Their recent statement explicitly calls for armed jihad – a dangerous recurring theme directly encouraging terror.
The problem goes further. The statement also demands “financial jihad” to support the so-called “resistance,” effectively calling for worldwide financial backing of terror organizations.
The Union also pushes for military intervention and religion-based military alliances, deepening religious conflict and global divisions. Such calls threaten international stability and undermine decades of peace efforts.
Most alarming is the Union’s instruction for Western Muslim communities to pressure their governments. History shows this typically leads to radicalization within communities and eventual terrorist activity.
These persistent calls for jihad and violence make classifying the IUMS as a terrorist organization necessary, along with firm action to protect global security and stability.
The IUMS’s rhetoric clearly poses serious multi-level security threats.
Individually, these calls can motivate extremists to launch lone wolf attacks – difficult for security agencies to prevent, especially when framed as “religious duty.”
Europe and America have experienced multiple attacks by individuals influenced by similar fundamentalist rhetoric.
Western experience confirms that such rhetoric leads to the recruitment and radicalization of Muslim youth, using religious language to encourage violence that periodically erupts in Europe and America. Security agencies have repeatedly discovered dormant terrorist cells in Western countries, reinforcing this concern.
The Union’s call for “obligatory financial jihad” creates another clear threat by calling for the funding of terrorist operations. The challenge lies in tracking small financial transfers from sympathizers, particularly when hidden behind charitable giving. Informal funding networks and charities often serve as fronts for financing armed groups.
Danger exists beyond security threats
The danger extends beyond immediate security threats to broader Western social cohesion. IUMS rhetoric promotes an “us vs them” mindset, portraying the West as an enemy, despite many extremists migrating to Western countries for social benefits and religious freedom. Many immigrate in order to establish organizations that pressure their host nations. Terrorist incidents across the West and the United States demonstrate this reality.
Given these facts, compelling reasons exist to classify the International Union of Muslim Scholars as a terrorist organization. The union explicitly advocates armed jihad, violating anti-terror laws worldwide while using religious platforms to justify violence.
Evidence clearly shows that the IUMS directly threatens Western security by inciting Muslims in these countries and undermining Western societies by spreading terror and extremism.
So will America and Europe act now to address this threat before it’s too late? The answer will determine security and peace in the years ahead.
The writer is a UAE political analyst and former Federal National Council candidate.