Iran’s leading Shiite cleric issued a religious edict against President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, which some experts described as an incitement to terrorism.
The decree, known as a fatwa, from Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, urged Muslims worldwide to take a stand, as reported by the New York Sun. It declares that any individual or government challenging or threatening the leadership and unity of the global Islamic community (the Ummah) is to be seen as a “warlord” or “mohareb,” a term for someone who wages war against God. According to Iranian law, those labeled as mohareb may face execution, crucifixion, limb amputation, or exile.
“Those who pose a threat to the leadership and unity of the Islamic Ummah are to be regarded as warlords,” Makarem stated in the edict. He concluded with a prayer seeking protection from these “enemies” and for the swift return of the Mahdi, a messianic figure in Shiite Islam.
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
On June 13, Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian nuclear and military facilities, reportedly killing top scientists and commanders. In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israeli cities. The U.S. joined the conflict a week later, striking three Iranian nuclear sites.
Trump had earlier warned that any further enrichment of uranium by Iran to weapons-grade levels would provoke additional American action. This warning followed a brief ceasefire that ended a 12-day period of intense conflict.
It is not the first time Iranian clerics have used fatwas to incite violence.
The most infamous case was the 1989 decree against author Salman Rushdie after the release of his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which many Muslims considered offensive. That fatwa forced Rushdie into hiding, led to the murder of a Japanese translator, and multiple attacks on the book’s publishers.Rushdie has survived multiple assassination attempts since, including a 2023 stabbing attack in upstate New York in which he lost an eye.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
