Will U.S.-Iraq War Lead to Religious War?

ByABC News
March 21, 2003, 8:51 AM

March 21 -- Now that the war in Iraq has commenced, America's relations with the Muslim world will be tested further in the months and years ahead

Distinguished Islamic institutions and renowned, moderate Muslim clerics have urged Muslims to join in jihad (holy war) to resist the U.S.-led onslaught.

Osama bin Laden and his militant ilk no longer have a monopoly calling on Muslims to wage jihad to defend the faith.

On Iraq, lines have become blurred between mainstream and radical politics in the world of Islam, thanks to the U.S. approach, which is widely seen as unjust and hegemonic.

A new realignment, bringing together a broad spectrum of political forces against the United States, is crystallizing in Arab and Muslim lands.

American policy toward Iraq has alienated most of the important political secular and religious actors who, until now, had been unwilling to join with radical anti-American forces.

Last week, Al-Azhar, the highest, oldest (1,000 years) and most respected institution of religious learning in the Muslim world, issued a fatwa (religious edict) advising "all Muslims in the world to make jihad against invading American forces."

The statement warned that Islam itself is the direct target of the "new crusaders' invasion" which aims at humiliating and subjugating Arabs and controlling their resources.

Resonating Call to the Faithful

The calls for jihad against the American invasion transcend ideological lines and the secular-religious divide in the Arab world.

In the absence of legitimate political authority, religious figures and Islamist groups vie with each other to fill the vacuum and to satisfy the public hunger and rage.

Given its historical and religious symbolism and weight, Azhar's ruling will likely resonate with the faithful, particularly outraged young men.

Although Islam possesses no organized church, the significance of Al-Azhar's call to Muslims could be compared to that of the Papacy if it were to call on Catholics to fight a just war to defend the faith.