04/02/2009

CAIRO, (PIC)-- Around 500 Egyptian Ulamas (scholars) of the influential Al-Azhar have issued a Fatwa (Islamic edict) forbidding the closure of the Rafah crossing point before the besieged Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

The scholars added that denying supply of weapons to the Palestinian resistance to defend themselves against the Israeli aggression and detonating tunnels used by the Palestinians to bring food and basic supplies to the besieged Gazans are also prohibited under Islamic law.

"It is absolutely prohibited to close the crossing points that link the Palestinians with the world, especially the Rafah crossing point, which is the only gate that links the Palestinians with their Muslim brothers… this is a major sin in Islam", the Ulamas asserted, stressing that supporting the Palestinian fighters with all they need is a religious duty.

However, the Ulamas welcomed the Egyptian government decision rejecting the presence of foreign observers on its soil to monitor the Gaza-Egypt borders, urging their government to enhance that nationalist stand with another nationalist and religious stand allowing full opening of the Rafah crossing point and supporting the Palestinian people in defending themselves against the Israeli occupation.

Finally, the Ulamas called on the Arab and Muslim Ummah to wake up, and to support their Palestinian brothers till occupied Palestine is liberated from the Israeli occupation.

Hussein before military court:

Meanwhile, the Egyptian government decided to put Majdi Hussein, the secretary-general of the Egyptian Labor party, on military trial for "illegally infiltrating into Gaza Strip".

Hussein, who is also a journalist, said he was blocked twice by the Egyptian authorities from entering the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing point, prompting him to take an alternative route to get into the Palestinian territories.

The Egyptian prosecutor in Al-Arish city said the decision to put Hussein (civilian) on military trial came after three days of investigation with the Egyptian politician who was arrested upon his arrival to the Egyptian side of the borders with Gaza. The trial of Hussein is expected on Thursday.

The labor party considered putting its top official on military trial as a grave violation of human rights being a civilian individual, saying that Majdi's decision to get into Gaza Strip was driven by "nationalist, Islamic, and popular considerations", adding that Majdi's determination to enter the Strip reflects the general feeling in the Egyptian street to lift the siege on Gaza and to open the Rafah crossing point before the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Al-Jazeera team denied entry into Gaza:

In the same context, the Egyptian authorities denied two of Al-Jazeera famous journalists Ahmed Mansour and Ghassan Bin Jiddo entry into the Gaza Strip without explaining the reasons behind the denial. Egypt had granted entry into Gaza Strip to foreign and European journalists.

In a telephone call with the mother satellite channel, Mansour said that the Egyptian authorities told them that they (he and bin Jiddo) are rejected, at a time it granted many journalists of different nationalities the right to enter the Strip.

"We presented our identification documents to the Egyptian authorities and requested a permission to enter the Gaza Strip as other journalists did, but they refused", added Mansour.

Mansour also said that the Egyptian officials stopped answering their telephone calls, but he stressed that Al-Jazeera team would remain at the borders till rational reasons are given to justify the denial.